Commencement 2013

A collection of stories covering Harvard University’s 362nd Commencement.

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All from this series

  • Two named Abramson winners

    Selim Berker, an assistant professor of philosophy, and Joshua Greene, the John and Ruth Hazel Associate Professor of the Social Sciences, are this year’s winners of the Roslyn Abramson Award, given annually to assistant or associate professors for excellence in undergraduate teaching.

  • ‘Run toward life’

    Harvard President Drew Faust on Tuesday drew on the example of the selfless responders to the Boston Marathon bombing, telling graduating seniors to “run toward” challenges, passions, and places where their help is needed.

  • Poetic justice, of a sort

    Former Supreme Court reporter Linda Greenhouse ’68 and poet August Kleinzahler apply personal touch to Phi Beta Kappa sendoff.

  • Three win Alpha Iota Prize for Excellence in Teaching

    The PBK Literary Exercises focus on a poet and a speaker every year. But they also provide an occasion for naming honorary members and for awarding the Alpha Iota Prize for Excellence in Teaching.

  • Giving back because of what Harvard gave them

    Every year, more than 30,000 alumni give back in celebration of reunions, as volunteers, or through annual gifts, and they aren’t shy about sharing why.

  • He strikes a key balance

    The teenage concert pianist Drew Petersen chose to attend Harvard Extension School to attain his bachelor’s because the flexibility of the program allowed him to continue pursuing his passion and his fulltime career in music.

  • Linking health policy to people

    Maia Fedyszyn, who is receiving a master’s of science in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health, has a passion for health policy to improve the lot of everyday people.

  • Her wheels are always turning

    Alice Anne Brown is graduating from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design as an urban planner interested in creating greener, bicycle-friendly cities around the world.

  • Commencement: It’s a spectator sport

    The sea of caps and gowns, many decorated with colorful regalia, is a memorable sight in Harvard’s Tercentenary Theatre on Commencement Day. But glance beyond the graduates and you’ll find an even larger gathering.

  • Three honored as HAA medalists

    The Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) has announced that James V. Baker ’68, M.B.A. ’71, William Thaddeus Coleman Jr., J.D. ’43, LL.D. ’96, and Georgene Botyos Herschbach, A.M. ’63, Ph.D. ’69, are the recipients of the 2013 Harvard Medal.

  • Soledad O’Brien Class Day speaker

    Soledad O’Brien, a CNN special correspondent, will speak to graduating seniors on Senior Class Day, held in Tercentenary Theatre.

  • Radcliffe opens doors of discovery

    The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study announced 49 artists and scholars who have been selected as its 2013-2014 fellows, among them are 15 Harvard faculty.

  • Astronaut named chief marshal

    The Harvard Alumni Association announced that Stephanie D. Wilson ’88, a NASA astronaut and engineer who flew three missions aboard the space shuttle Discovery, will serve as Harvard’s chief marshal for Commencement 2013.

  • Winfrey named Commencement speaker

    Oprah Winfrey, who has consistently used her success as a talk show host and media entrepreneur to promote education, civic engagement, and charitable works, will be the principal speaker at the Afternoon Exercises of Harvard’s 362nd Commencement.

  • Midyear graduates recognized

    More than 100 Harvard students, along with their families and friends, gathered in the Radcliffe Gymnasium on Dec. 6 to celebrate the 2012-13 Midyear Graduates Recognition Ceremony. The event recognized students who graduate in November or March, off the usual Commencement cycle.