Corporate Accountability Champion, John H. Biggs, Addresses Class of 2006 At Trinity College’s 180th Commencement
Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi and Entrepreneur Tom Chappell Receive Honorary Degrees
Hartford, Conn., May 21, 2006—John H. Biggs, former chairman of TIAA-CREF and renowned champion of corporate accountability, addressed more than 500 graduates, faculty, and honored guests during Trinity College’s 180th Commencement on the historic Main Quad shortly after 11:00 a.m. today. A total of 533 undergraduates and 30 master’s degrees were awarded at the ceremonies.
Prior to his address, Biggs was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for his unwavering commitment to the advancement of ethical accounting practices. Biggs became chairman and CEO of TIAA-CREF in January 1993. Previously, he served as president and COO from 1989-1993. He began his professional career with the General American Life Insurance Company, and in 1970 was appointed vice president and controller. In 1977, Biggs became vice chancellor for administration and finance at Washington University in St. Louis. He was named president and CEO of Centerre Trust Company, St. Louis, in 1985. He earned an A.B. degree in classics from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in economics from Washington University, St. Louis. He is a director of the Boeing Company, JPMorgan Chase Co and a trustee of Washington University, The Danforth Foundation in St. Louis, and The Santa Fe Opera. He chairs the Audit Committee at Boeing. He is chairman of boards of the J. Paul Getty Trust and Emeriti (a non-profit company offering post retirement medical benefits to college faculty). Biggs is also a director of the National Bureau of Economic Research. In addition, he is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Council on Foreign Relations, and he is treasurer of the New York City Investment Fund.
Shirin Ebadi, J.D., was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree during the Commencement ceremonies. She is the 2003 Nobel Prize for Peace recipient for her tireless efforts to promote human rights. Ebadi received her law degree from the University of Tehran in 1969, going on to serve as one of the first female judges in Iran from 1975-1979. At the height of the revolution, in 1979, she was forced to resign. Following the revolution she worked as a lawyer in an office of all male lawyers, as women were not allowed to practice law on their own at the time. In the early 1990s she began practicing law on her own and taking on politically sensitive cases free of charge. She continues to practice law, frequently gives speeches and lectures, and teaches at the University of Tehran. In addition to being an internationally-recognized advocate of human rights, the Nobel Laureate has established many non-governmental organizations in Iran, including those for protection of children, women, and political prisoners, as well as an organization dedicated to carrying out the Land Mine Treaty. As a lawyer, she has taken on many controversial cases defending political dissidents and as a result has been imprisoned numerous times. Ebadi’s memoir, Iran Awakening: A Memoir of Revolution and Hope, will be published by Random House in June 2006.
Thomas Matthew Chappell ’66, P’88, ’92, ’97, ’06, was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. He is a cofounder—with wife Kate—and president of Tom's of Maine, which produces innovative, natural personal care products. A graduate of Trinity College and Harvard Divinity School, Chappell also authored The Soul of a Business: Managing for Profit and the Common Good (1993) and Managing Upside Down: Seven Intentions for Values-Centered Leadership (1999). In 1999, he founded The Saltwater Institute, a nonprofit organization helping business leaders integrate personal values with workplace decisions. Chappell earned a master’s in theology at Harvard Divinity School in 1991. He is active in the Episcopal Church of Maine, was a deputy to the 1991 and 1994 Triennial General Conference of the Episcopal Church, and was a member of the Environmental Stewardship Team of the national Episcopal Church. He is active in many cultural and philanthropic organizations, among them the Dean's Council for Harvard Divinity School, the Advisory Council for the Center for the Study of Values in Public Life at Harvard Divinity School, and the President's Advisory Council for The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church.
Following conferment of the honorary degrees, Biggs addressed the Class of 2006. Noting that the effects of globalization are just beginning to become apparent, he forecasted that the shift will be seen by future historians as a transformation as great as that of the Industrial Revolution. He noted also: “The advantages to American families of globalization are embedded in our lives in ways that we may not notice,” citing “Japanese industrial engineering [which] has given us automobile options well beyond what Detroit would have offered.” He also cited an economic study that calculated a $9,000 a year benefit from globalization to every American family.
Biggs charged each student to become “a global competitor,” to read The World is Flat by Tom Friedman and The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy by Pietra Rivoli, which chronicles the round-the-world globe trek of a T-shirt, from production to market in a global economy. He also noted that those who suffer from globalization are “those who do not see it coming,” and called for shared responsibility in ensuring a safety net for those who are affected by what he termed as “the China price.”
The Class of 2006 valedictorian was Dilian Kovachev, of Bulgaria. Kovachev received a bachelor of science degree, with a major in economics, and holds a 4.149 grade point average. His honors include Phi Beta Kappa membership, selection as a Holland Scholar for 2002-03, 2003-04, and 2004-05, and as a President’s Fellow in Economics for 2005-06.
Jason Percy of South Windsor, Conn., was named class salutatorian. Percy received a bachelor of arts degree, with a major in history, and holds a 4.073 grade point average. His other honors include Phi Beta Kappa membership and selection as a Holland Scholar for 2004-05.
Sarah Arnold of Goshen, Conn., was named Optima graduate. Arnold was a biology major, with a minor in environment and human values. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, she was selected as a W.H. Russell Fellow in April 2006, a Deans’ Scholar in the fall 2002, and a recipient of the 2005 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Arnold held a grade-point average of 4.054.
Adam Lesser of Dover, Mass., was named Optimus graduate. Lesser majored in both chemistry and computer coordinate with chemistry, A member of Phi Beta Kappa, he was a Dean’s Scholar in the fall of 2002 and a President’s Fellow, achieving honors in both majors at graduation. Lesser held a grade point average of 3.925. An Optima or Optimus student is one who has received an A- or better in all courses required for the degree.
Trinity College Professor of Modern Languages Kenneth Lloyd-Jones was presented with the Trinity College Trustee Award for Faculty Excellence, which the Board of Trustees established in the fall of 2004 to recognize faculty, students, and members of the College staff for their excellence.
Trinity College senior, Elizabeth Guernsey, of Essex, Conn., was one of two graduating students presented with the Trinity College Trustee Award for Student Excellence. A double major in economics and public policy, with 4.167 and 4.0 GPAs, respectively, she was on the faculty honor roll every semester, and was awarded the Presidential Fellow for Public Policy and Law, and was elected into Pi Gamma Mu in spring 2005 and the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honors society. As a member of the defending NCAA Champion Division III crew team, a four-year varsity athlete, and captain in her senior year; she was also recognized on a national level as an Academic All-American Athlete.
Christopher Moore, of Holderness, New Hamp, was also presented with the Trinity College Trustee Award for Student Excellence during the 180th Commencement on the Trinity College campus today. Moore graduated with a 3.88 GPA., and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, a Dean’s Scholar, Italian Coco Scholar, and received a Gold-Katz Human Rights Fellowship.
The entire Commencement ceremony will be available for viewing midweek in a delayed “Web cast” at: www.trincoll.edu/AboutTrinity/commencement06/webcast.
Photos of the Commencement ceremony are available in Trinity’s virtual press kit web site on the afternoon of Sunday, May 21: www.trincoll.edu/AboutTrinity/commencement06/photos.
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