Veneman to address grads

Author: Daniel L. J. Phillips

President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz confirmed on Monday that Ann M. Veneman, executive director of UNICEF and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, will address members of the Middlebury College Class of 2006 at their commencement on May 28. The College will also award Veneman an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. A total of six honory degrees will be bestowed at the ceremony, which is the largest number of such degrees awarded in recent history.

Dr. Robin Bell '80, Dr. Richard Hodes '75, Senator James M. Jeffords (I-Vt.), Alec Webb and Lihua Yu will also receive honorary degrees and will be recognized during a dinner reception the Saturday evening before graduation. Liebowitz said that he prefers to award no more than three or four honorary degrees per year, but stressed the importance of timing for a few recipients in this year's "unusually large slate." Timing is especially significant for Yu, who is the grandmother of graduating senior, Tara Vanacore.

In consideration of Veneman to address the graduating seniors, Liebowitz said that he was "looking for a speaker who would provide an important and relevant message to students who would be leaving the relatively protected confines of Middlebury to pursue various jobs, volunteer work and studies."

Having grown up on a family farm in a small rural community, Veneman's global accomplishments speak for themselves and send a resounding message to young adults entering the professional world. In her capacity as the 27th Secretary of Agriculture from 2001-2005, the first woman ever to hold the post, Veneman directed major international programs that included the $300 million Global Food for Education Program, which reached 4,000 schools and saw enrollment rise among both boys and girls by nearly 12 percent.

Veneman also played a key role in eliminating trade barriers and expanding opportunities for American farmers by creating new export markets, and she worked closely with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick in helping to lead the successful launch of a new round of trade negotiations for the World Trade Organization.

Early in her tenure with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Veneman was responsible for publishing George W. Bush's Administration's vision for American agriculture with her report, "Food and Agricultural Policy: Taking Stock for the New Century." The publication outlined key priorities for issues such as farm sector policy, conservation and the environment, rural communities, nutrition and food assistance. Veneman also serves as a board member of the Close Up Foundation, a nonpartisan civic education organization.

Veneman earned her bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California (UC), Davis, a master's degree in public policy from UC Berkeley and a juris doctorate degree from UC Hastings College of Law. Prior to her appointment as the 27th Secretary, Veneman served as the USDA's Deputy Secretary, which is the Department's second-highest position.

Secretary of the College John Emerson, the coordinator of the Honorary Degree Committee but a non-voting member, expressed his enthusiasm for Veneman's commencement address: "I think those who value social work and service to children will be especially pleased." Emerson noted that although agriculture is a relatively small constituent in the Middlebury community, "Veneman is unique in having achieved a very high level of leadership in at least two very different and seemingly unrelated, areas."

Emerson added that she is a "very fine speaker" and has heard Veneman on the radio many times over the years.

Kelsey Rinehart '06, one of the two student representatives on the Honorary Degree Committee, said she was "generally satisfied with the nomination," although she had not heard of Veneman before the selection. "I think seniors may be a bit disappointed not to have a high-profile speaker," said Rinehart. "I did acknowledge to the Committee that the student body probably would not be as excited with the nomination initially, given Veneman's relative lack of name recognition, but said that students would, of course, look into her background and credentials and form an opinion."

While rumors circulated that Illinois Senator Barak Obama was in the running to address the graduating seniors, Liebowitz has not ruled out the possibility of bringing Obama to speak on campus. "Obama would be a great Fulton lecture candidate, and we have been trying to get him to speak here. We will continue to try to find a time when his schedule permits him to come to Middlebury," said Liebowitz.

Dr. Bell, who is slated to receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree, was a biology major at Middlebury and is now the director of the ADVANCE program at the Earth Institute. She is a Doherty research scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, where she directs major research programs on the Hudson River and Antarctica. Dr. Bell is also the chair of the National Academy of Sciences Polar Research Board and Vice Chair of the International Planning Group for the International Polar Year.

Dr. Hodes, who will also receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree, was recently featured in Middlebury Magazine, and as Liebowitz recalled, gave a keynote address at the College for Operation Smile a few years ago. Dr. Hodes has been stationed in Ethiopia for the past 17 years, where he serves as medical director for the American Jewish Joint Distribution in Addis Ababa.

He has been involved in humanitarian medical interventions in Rwanda, Zaire, Turkey, Kosovo, Somalia, Bangladesh and India as well. Dr. Hodes also has an academic appointment at the Program in Medicine and Humanities at the University of Texas School of Medicine.

He has served as mentor for many Middlebury students who seek internships, and Liebowitz referred to him as a "most selfless individual."

Born in Rutland, Vt., Senator Jeffords has been a member of the U.S. Senate since 1989, after serving Vermont in the House of Representatives from 1975-1988, and will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. As a Congressman, Senator Jeffords has championed legislation to strengthen our nation's education system and increase the opportunities for individuals with disabilities. He has also been one of the leading advocates in Congress for environmental protection.

Alec Webb, who will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree, is the head of Shelburne Farms on the shore of Lake Champlain in Shelburne, Vt. Over the past 30 years, Webb has transformed his property from a private estate into a multi-faceted environmental education center. Webb and Shelburne Farms plan to continue a tradition of innovative farming and land-use practices, and hope that a new educational vision will help create a sustainable future in Vermont and across the globe. "He has been a great steward of land," said Liebowitz.

Lihua Yu, one of the most influential Chinese-born women writers since World War II, will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters. Professor Yu has written 15 volumes that include novels, collections of short stories and prose; she has also written several volumes of critical works and translations. She is the mother of Anna Sun, the coordinator of the Middlebury Chinese Summer School.