263rd Commencement: University of Pennsylvania Commencement Events 2019
Baccalaureate Ceremony
Sunday, May 19
Irvine Auditorium
1:30-2:30 p.m.–Ceremony for students whose last names begin with A-K
3-4 p.m.–Ceremony for students whose last names begin with L-Z
Speaker: Denis Mukwege, Nobel Peace Prize co-Laureate 2018; recipient, 2016 Penn Nursing Renfield Foundation Award for Global Women’s Health
Commencement
Monday, May 20
Franklin Field, 9 a.m.
Speaker: Bryan Stevenson, public interest lawyer and author; founder and executive director, The Equal Justice Initiative, which in 2018 created the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice
Honorary Degree Recipients
Jon Bon Jovi, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, founder of the band Bon Jovi; chair, Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee–Honorary Doctor of Music
Temple Grandin, advocate, public speaker and author; professor of animal science, Colorado State University–Honorary Doctor of Sciences
Richard Lugar, the late six-term United States Senator (retired); president, The Lugar Center; recipient, Presidential Medal of Freedom–Honorary Doctor of Laws (posthumously)
Denis Mukwege, gynecological surgeon and human rights activist; founder, Panzi Hospital and the Panzi Foundation; 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate; recipient, 2016 Penn Nursing Renfield Foundation Award for Global Women’s Health–Honorary Doctor of Sciences
Laurie Olin, landscape architect, teacher and author; practice professor of landscape architecture (retired), Weitzman School of Design, Penn; recipient, National Medal of Arts –Honorary Doctor of Arts
Bryan Stevenson, public interest lawyer and author; founder and executive director, The Equal Justice Initiative, which in 2018 created the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice–Honorary Doctor of Laws
Neville Earl Strumpf, advocate and expert in care of older adults; professor of nursing (retired) and interim dean, 2000-2001, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania–Honorary Doctor of Sciences
Jill Cornell Tarter, astronomer; former director, Center for SETI Research; Bernard M. Oliver Chair, SETI Institute–Honorary Doctor of Sciences
School Ceremonies and Speakers
Annenberg School for Communication
Bachelor of Arts Ceremony: Sunday, May 19, 10 a.m., Zellerbach Theater, Annenberg Center
Speaker: Dylan Hewitt, C’14, director of Intergovernmental Relations for NYC Comptroller
Reception: Agora, Annenberg Public Policy Center, following the ceremony
PhD Ceremony: Monday, May 20, 1:30 p.m., Room 110, Annenberg School
Reception: Agora, Annenberg Public Policy Center, noon-1:30 p.m.
School of Arts & Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences Ceremony: Sunday, May 19, 6:30 p.m., Franklin Field
Class of 2019 Speaker: Hannah Sweeney, C’19
Speaker: Stacey Snider, C’82 PAR’19, Film Studio Executive
Graduate Division, SAS Ceremony: Saturday, May 18, 1 p.m., Irvine Auditorium
Speaker: Deborah A. Thomas, professor of anthropology; director of the Center for Experimental Ethnography at Penn
Liberal and Professional Studies Ceremony: Sunday, May 19, 4-5:30 p.m., Zellerbach Theatre, Annenberg Center
Speaker: Cristina Bicchieri, SJP Harvie Professor of Social Thought and Comparative Ethics at Penn
Fels Institute of Government Ceremony: Sunday, May 19, 9:30 a.m., National Constitution Center
Speaker: US Sen. Christopher Coons of Delaware
School of Dental Medicine
Ceremony: Monday, May 20, 1 p.m., Irvine Auditorium
Speakers: Anthony Welters, executive chairman at BlackIvy Group, LLC; Anita L. Allen, Vice Provost for Faculty and Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy
Reception: Immediately following the ceremony, Robert Schattner Center, Henry Schein Atrium and Schattner Pavilion
Stuart Weitzman School of Design
Ceremony: Saturday, May 18, 6-8:30 p.m., Irvine Auditorium
Speaker: Stuart Weitzman, W’63, Chairman Emeritus, Stuart Weitzman, LLC
Pre-Ceremony Reception: Saturday, May 18, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Meyerson Hall
Post-Ceremony Reception: Saturday, May 18, 8:30-10 p.m., Meyerson Hall
Graduate School of Education
Ceremony: Saturday, May 18, 9 a.m., Palestra
Reception: Immediately following the ceremony, Penn Commons
Speaker: Na’ilah Suad Nasir, President of the Spencer Foundation
School of Engineering & Applied Science
Undergraduate Ceremony: Saturday, May 18, 2-4 p.m., Palestra
Speaker: Egbert L.J. Perry, Chairman and CEO, Integral
Student Speaker: Johnathan Chen, M&T’19 (Electrical Engineering & Business)
Open House and Luncheon: noon-1:30 p.m. in the Engineering complex
Master’s Ceremony: Friday, May 17, 3:30-5:30 p.m. (doors open at 3 p.m.), Palestra
Speaker: Sunita Parasuraman, head of treasury, Facebook
Open House and Luncheon: 1-3 p.m., Engineering complex
PhD Ceremony: Thursday, May 16, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Irvine Auditorium
Speaker: Beth Winkelstein, Vice Provost for Education and Eduardo D. Glandt President’s Distinguished Professor in the Department of Bioengineering, Penn
Reception: 4:30-6 p.m., Hall of Flags, Houston Hall
Law School
Ceremony: Monday, May 20, 3 p.m., Academy of Music
Speaker: Kalpana Kotagal, partner at Cohen Milstein
Reception: Sunday, May 19, 2-4 p.m., Law School
Perelman School of Medicine
Ceremony: Sunday, May 19, 9-11 a.m., Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
Speaker: Reed V. Tuckson, managing director of Tuckson Health Connections, LLC
PSOM 50th Reunion Speaker: Edward T. Anderson, C’65 M’69, interventional cardiologist
Reception: Kimmel Center, immediately following the ceremony
Biomedical Graduate Studies Ceremony:
Monday, May 20, 12:30-3:30 p.m., Biomedical Research Bldg., Auditorium & Lobby
School of Nursing
Ceremony: Monday, May 20, 3-5 p.m., Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center
Speaker: Neville Earl Strumpf, advocate and expert in care of older adults; professor of nursing (retired) and interim dean, Nursing, Penn
Reception: Carol Ware Lobby, Claire M. Fagin Hall, Monday, May 20, noon
School of Social Policy & Practice
Ceremony: Monday, May 20, 6:30 p.m., Irvine Auditorium
Speaker: DeRay Mckesson, civil rights activist and host of Pod Save the People
Reception: Houston Hall, immediately following the ceremony
School of Veterinary Medicine
Ceremony: Monday, May 20, 2:30 p.m., Zellerbach Theatre, Annenberg Center
Speaker: David M. Sherman, Chargé de mission, Regional Activities Department, World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)
Reception: Annenberg Plaza, immediately following the ceremony
Wharton School
San Francisco MBA for Executives Ceremony: Sunday, May 5, 10-11:30 a.m., Herbst Theatre, War Memorial & Performing Arts Center, San Francisco, CA
Speaker: Anthony Noto, WG’99, CEO, SoFi
Doctoral Division Ceremony: Friday, May 17, 9:30-10:30 a.m., Zellerbach Theatre, Annenberg Center
MBA for Executives Ceremony: Saturday, May 18, 2:30-4 p.m., Zellerbach Theatre, Annenberg Center
Speaker: David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and co-executive chairman of The Carlyle Group
Undergraduate Division Ceremony: Sunday, May 19, 9 a.m., Palestra,
Speaker: Stacy Brown-Philpot, W’97, CEO, TaskRabbit
MBA Division Ceremony: Sunday, May 19, 1 p.m., Palestra
Speaker: Jonathan (“Jon”) Gray, W’92, president and COO, Blackstone
For additional information on Commencement 2019, visit the Commencement website www.upenn.edu/commencement or call (215) 898-7006.
Arthur Tress Collection Gift of Japanese Illustrated Books to Penn Libraries
With the gift of the Arthur Tress Collection of Japanese Illustrated Books, the Penn Libraries has secured one of the best—if not the best—most complete, and widest-ranging collections of Japanese illustrated books in the United States. The Tress gift joins recent gifts of Japanese prints to form an exceptional collection of the Japanese graphic arts spanning the past four centuries, transforming Penn into one of the leading institutions in the world for this rare and important material.
Acclaimed photographer Arthur Tress began collecting Japanese illustrated books in 1965 when he was visiting Kyoto.
For more than 50 years, Mr. Tress collected widely and with an eye for quality and rarity to amass an extensive collection of over 1,400 titles dating from the late 17th century through the 1930s that has now been appraised at $1.5 million. The collection includes popular illustrated books, such as novels, guidebooks, theater books, and the like; deluxe limited-edition poetry, erotica and artist-centered books; exquisite editions of books on kimono design; and much more. There are examples of every kind of book produced between the mid-17th century to the early 20th century, making this an exceptionally comprehensive collection. It includes rarities such as a period woodblock and a metal movable type early modern Korean book.
Among the most famous of the titles are Shusui’s Tales of Ise (1767), Hosan’s Famous Views of Bitchu (1822), Rinsho’s Book of Caricatures (1770), Hokkei’s Tokiwa no taki (1833), Hōitsu’s Drawing Book of Oson (1816), Hokusai’s One Hundred Views of Mt. Fuji, Ryūsui’s Treasures of the Sea (1774) and others.
In the spring of 2017, Mr. Tress was seeking a new home for his collection. He reached out to Julie Nelson Davis, professor of the history of art at Penn, a leading researcher in Japanese material culture, after reading her book Partners in Print: Artistic Collaboration and the Ukiyo-e Market and realizing they both were deeply interested in the genre.
“Working closely with Kislak Center curators, Julie has built a wonderful collection of Japanese books and prints,” said Will Noel, associate vice provost for external partnerships, director of the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, and director of the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies. “Not only will Arthur’s gift add significantly to our holdings, it will profoundly enrich Julie’s collaborations with her colleagues as they train the next generation of scholars.”
When Dr. Davis visited Mr. Tress at his home to assess the collection, she was amazed. “The best of the collection is on par with the finest printings in the Pulverer Collection of the Japanese Illustrated Book held at the Freer and Sackler Galleries at the Smithsonian, the Spencer Collection in the New York Public Library, the Ravicz Collection at the Chiba City Museum of Art, in Japan, and the Vershbow Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art,” said Dr. Davis. “However, the Tress collection surpasses these in their range, as Arthur selected works of illustrated fiction, erotica, humor and other works that those other noted collections do not include.”
A year later, Mr. Tress visited Penn and decided to give the entire ninety-box collection to the Kislak Center. Dr. Davis and her team of graduate students made the first-ever complete inventory of the collection. In the process, they encountered many of the finest printings of acclaimed masterworks and discovered many titles not held in any other collection—even in Japan.
Dr. Davis is currently working with her graduate students on an exhibition featuring masterworks from the collection, accompanied by Mr. Tress’s photographs. It is anticipated to be on display spring 2021 in the Goldstein Family Gallery in the Kislak Center.