Commencement 2000 Spirits run high on a cold day in may
Warm smiles and high spirits brightened what was an unseasonably cold, gray
afternoon for ClarkÕs 95th Commencement exercises. Some 504 undergraduate and
437 graduate degrees were conferred at the ceremonies held on Sunday, May 21.
Kurt Schmoke, the former mayor of Baltimore, delivered the commencement address.
Schmoke, a respected member of the legal profession, was elected mayor in 1987
and was the first African American to hold that office. Throughout his three
terms as mayor, education, housing and urban revitalization were his top priorities,
making Baltimore a national model for neighborhood revitalization. In his remarks,
Schmoke told the biblical story of Nehemiah, a young slave who believed God
wanted more from him. When he was finally freed, Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem,
where he found a city in distress. In his wisdom, Nehemiah gathered the people
of the city together to help form a common vision in which all members of the
community worked to rebuild their city.
"In my career as Mayor of Baltimore, the story of Nehemiah always inspired
me," Schmoke told the audience. "Because for all the glorious things about our
cities, there remains in many of them, areas of 'distress and waste.' But by
using the Nehemiah principle, people working together for a common goal can
confound the enemies and eliminate that distress and waste." The story, Schmoke
added, reflects the collaborative efforts made by Clark and the residents of
Main South to rejuvenate their neighborhood. He commended Clark students, faculty
and administrators on the success of the University Park Partnership and credited
the University with creating positive change that will impact the quality of
life for people for years to come. In closing, Schmoke encouraged the graduates
to take these experiences with them as they make their mark on the world. "Take
with you the lessons learned at Clark and the inspiration from Nehemiah. Both will be necessary to help you deal with the complex world you enter,Ó
said Schmoke, who received an honorary doctor of law degree. Also awarded honorary
degrees were nuclear chemist Darleane Hoffman, a chemistry professor in the
graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley, and the recipient
of the National Medal of Science in 1997; Edgar Beckham, a senior fellow at
the Association of American Colleges and Universities who received the Outstanding
Contribution to Higher Education Award in 1997; and mathematician Jack Hale,
Regents professor and director and co-founder of Georgia Tech's Center for Dynamical
Systems and Nonlinear Studies, one of the nation's premiere facilities for mathematical
research.
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Clarknews Summer 2000
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