Burns to Deliver Commencement Address

Honorary degrees go to Flutie, Grubbs, Holms and Beach

May 15, 2007

Undersecretary of State R. Nicholas Burns.

Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs at the U.S. Department of State R. Nicholas Burns will deliver the 2006-07 Commencement address at Dickinson College on Sunday, May 20.

Burns, the Department of State's third-ranking official, will be one of five honorary doctorate recipients at Commencement, scheduled for 10 a.m. in front of Old West.

Burns, who oversees U.S. policy around the world and occupies the senior career foreign-service position at the Department of State, will receive an honorary doctor of public policy for his expertise in international relations and dedication as a public servant.

Other honorary doctorates will be conferred to:

• Doug Flutie, a former NFL standout who was just elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, is a leading advocate for raising awareness about autism. He will receive an honorary doctor of humanitarian service for his professional accomplishments and leadership in philanthropy.
• Robert H. Grubbs, who shared the 2005 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work in the field of olefin metathesis, will receive an honorary doctor of science for his international leadership in science and distinguished teaching.
• Jennifer L. Holm '90, a two-time Newbery award-winning novelist, will receive an honorary doctor of letters for service as an inspiration to young readers.
• The late Walter Eggert Beach '56, trustee emeritus, will be honored posthumously with an honorary doctor of public service for having been an exemplary alumnus and distinguished public servant.

R. Nicholas Burns

Before his current assignment, Burns was the U.S. representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He also has been the U.S. ambassador to Greece and was acting assistant secretary for public affairs for Secretaries of State Warren Christopher and Madeleine Albright.

Burns served for five years on the National Security Council staff at the White House. He was special assistant to President Bill Clinton and senior director for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia affairs. He had lead responsibility in the White House for advising the president on all aspects of U.S. relations with the 15 countries of the former Soviet Union.

Burns began his foreign-service career in Africa and the Middle East. He interned at the U.S. Embassy in Nouakchott, Mauritania, was vice consul to the ambassador in Cairo, Egypt (1983-1985), and was a political officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem (1985-1987), where he coordinated U.S. economic assistance to the Palestinian population in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Doug Flutie

Flutie, an analyst for college football on ABC Sports and ESPN Sports, played 21 seasons of professional football. His legacy in sports lore was cemented on Nov. 23, 1984, by a single play in college. On that day, the quarterback threw a "Hail Mary" touchdown pass in the final seconds of Boston's upset win over the Miami Hurricanes. The Heisman Trophy winner was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame on May 9.

Today, Flutie is creating a new legacy in the field of autism. He and wife Laura created the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism in honor of their son, Doug Jr., who was diagnosed with autism at age 3. Designed to assist financially disadvantaged families who need assistance in caring for their autistic children, the foundation funds research and education into the causes and consequences of childhood autism and also is a clearinghouse and communications center for new and innovative programs and services developed for autistic children. During the last several years, Dickinson students have held fund-raising events to support Flutie's foundation.

Robert H. Grubbs

Grubbs is the Victor and Elizabeth Atkins Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., where he has been a faculty member since 1978. He received the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, along with Richard R. Schrock and Yves Chauvin, for his work in the field of olefin metathesis.

Grubbs' research group is involved in the design, synthesis and mechanistic studies of complexes that catalyze basic organic transformations. The major focus of the group during the last few years has been on the olefin metathesis reaction. His work has found wide applications in organic and polymer synthesis.

Jennifer L. Holm '90

Holm received her second Newbery Honor Award for her latest book, Penny from Heaven. Inspired by her mother's childhood experiences as an Italian-American growing up in the 1950s, it is a timeless story about families, forgiveness, death and coming of age. Given by the American Library Association, the John Newbery Medal and Honor Awards recognize the authors of the year's most outstanding contributions to children's literature.

The Newbery Medal is the most prestigious award in children's literature. Holm also received a Newbery Honor Award for her first book, Our Only May Amelia, published in 1999.

Walter Eggert Beach '56

Beach, who died in November at age 72, had a distinguished career within the political-science community. From 1965-1980, he served on the staff of the American Political Science Association. In 1980, he became a senior staff member at The Brookings Institution. He was a founding member and director of The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars. In 1990, he became director of Heldref Publications with the Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation and, in 1997, became senior fellow at the foundation.

Beach spent his lifetime identifying and enhancing Dickinson's visibility and connections in the world. With a passion for preserving Dickinson's history, he contributed generously to the college's archives, providing many original manuscripts and letters as well as the text of a rare 1764 speech by John Dickinson. With an eye toward the current and future prestige of his alma mater, he kept the college informed about the accomplishments of Dickinson alumni around the world.