Sean Combs to Deliver Howard University’s 146th Commencement Address

Entrepreneur, philanthropist and entertainment mogul Sean Combs will deliver the 146th Commencement address at Howard University on Saturday, May 10, 2014, Interim President Wayne A.I. Frederick announced on April 15th, 2014.

The University will award degrees to more than 1800 students. Sean Combs was a student at Howard University in the late 1980s. He will receive an honorary doctorate in humanities at the convocation.

“In selecting the individuals who will be awarded honorary degrees, Howard University continues the tradition of identifying leaders whose work has clearly contributed to the advancement of their fields and the world,” Frederick said.

“We are honored to have Mr. Combs serve as our speaker. He sat in classrooms where our students sit, walked ‘The Yard,’ and like many students, his entrepreneurial spirit was sparked at Howard. We know he will inspire our class to work hard and to always strive for excellence.”

Event Information:

• Webcast: To view the Commencement ceremony live on Sat, May 10 at 10:00 a.m. visit: http://www.howard.edu/secretary/convocations/commencement/2014/webcast.htm
• Location: The Commencement Convocation will be held on Saturday, May 10, beginning at 10:00 a.m., on the Upper Quadrangle, Main Campus.

Five individuals will receive honorary degrees during the ceremony. They represent an exemplary group of pioneers and trailblazers in the fields of journalism, the arts, business and medicine. This year’s honorees are:

Wolf Blitzer is CNN’s lead political anchor and the anchor of “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer” and “Wolf,” which both air weekdays. He is also at the helm of the network’s breaking news coverage. Blitzer spearheaded CNN’s Peabody Award-winning coverage of the presidential primary debates and campaigns in 2008. He has authored two books, Between Washington and Jerusalem: A Reporter’s Notebook and Territory of Lies. Blitzer earned a bachelor of arts degree in history from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a master of arts degree in international relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Clive Callender, M.D., is the LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr., Professor of Surgery at the Howard University College of Medicine and the first physician to perform a transplant at Howard University Hospital. Callender has focused much of his career on transplant medicine among minority segments of the population. He has authored more than 125 scientific publications on transplantation and appeared on “The Oprah Show,” “Nightline,” and “The CBS Evening News.” He is also founder of the National Minority Organ/Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP), an organization dedicated to increasing minority donation rates. Callender received his B.S. degree in chemistry and physiology from Hunter College. He went on to Meharry Medical College where he received his M.D. degree in 1963.

Sean Combs is chairman, chief executive officer and founder of Combs Enterprises, one of the world’s preeminent group of companies and brands. Recently declared “One of the Most Influential Businessmen in the World” by Time Magazine and CNN, Combs has built a reputation as a master brand builder, pop culture icon and champion of youth education and entrepreneurship. Under the Combs Enterprises umbrella, he oversees a broad range of businesses including REVOLT, the new music-oriented platform for television, web and mobile; Bad Boy Entertainment; Sean John; Combs Wines and Spirits – Ciroc Vodka and DeLeon Tequila; and the Blue Flame Agency.

Benny Golson is the multitalented and internationally renowned jazz legend. A composer, arranger, lyricist, producer and tenor saxophonist, Golson has played in the bands of Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Earl Bostic and Art Blakey. He has recorded more than 30 albums in the United States and Europe under his own name and innumerable ones with other major artists. Golson has also written well over 300 compositions. He has lectured at the Lincoln Center through a special series by Wynton Marsalis. He has instructed doctoral candidates at New York University and lectured faculty at National University at San Diego.

Indra K. Nooyi is chairman and chief executive officer of PepsiCo. In its global food and beverage portfolio, PepsiCo has 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual sales. Nooyi is the chief architect of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo’s promise to do what’s right for the business by doing what’s right for people and the planet. In addition to being a member of the PepsiCo Board of Directors, Nooyi serves as a member of the boards of U.S.-China Business Council, the U.S.-India Business Council, The Consumer Goods Forum, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Tsinghua University. She holds a B.S. from Madras Christian College, an M.B.A. from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta and a Master of Public and Private Management from Yale University.

Source: Howard University Office of University Communications