By Maggie Cassidy, News Staff
They each wore different shoes, but they all got on their feet.
Graduates and their guests gave a standing ovation to philanthropist Kenneth Cole ‘- a fashion designer who got his start in the ’80s by starting a shoe business ‘- after he delivered the keynote speech to almost 3,000 graduates and their guests during Northeastern’s 113th Commencement ceremony, held at the TD Banknorth Garden Friday.
Cole, who drew big laughs throughout his speech, thanked the university for the opportunity to deliver the address, joking that everybody was ‘wearing shapeless gowns right out of Harry Potter.’
‘But there is irony here,’ he said. ‘The only thing distinguishing all of us from each other is our individual choice as to what we are wearing below the ankles, so that must be why I was chosen.’
The fashion designer, whose philanthropy includes running AIDS awareness campaigns and chairing the board of the AIDS research foundation amfAR, went on to tell how he built his business, Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc., during a 1980s recession when he couldn’t afford to rent space at a popular shoe designing trade show, instead obtaining a film permit in order to show shoes in a 40-foot trailer in front of the show.
He kept the name, he said, because it reminds him ‘of the importance of resourcefulness, and the best solutions are not usually the most expensive ‘- they’re almost always the most creative.’
He also told graduates that, despite the recession and dismal statistics for recent graduates’ job availability, they were better off than they might think, especially thanks to the real-world preparation Northeastern had give them.
Student speaker Brandon Taylor’ ‘- who graduated with a degree in biomedical physics and spoke before Cole ‘- also drew big laughs from the crowd.
‘My mother had no idea I was giving a speech today,’ he said, later adding, ‘It’s an honor to share the stage with the man who designed so many of my shoes.’
Taylor used the metaphor of handprints to symbolize the impact Northeastern had on the graduates’ lives. He also talked about some of the graduating class’s standout memories from the past five years, including the Boston Red Sox winning the MLB World Series in 2004 (‘I’m sorry for all the Yankees fans,’ he said), an explosion in Kerr Hall in 2005, Northeastern breaking U.S. News & World Report’s list of top 100 schools and the first annual Underwear Run.
‘Today, the real world scares me less because we’ve already been there,’ he said. ‘Today, it scares me less than the automatic stapler in Infocommons.’
During the ceremony, President Joseph Aoun told graduates to immerse themselves in the ‘global community,’ both ‘collaboratively and competitively,’ saying the world has changed dramatically in recent years.
‘It is [now] a world defined by interdependence, rather than by solidarity,’ he said. ‘For Massachusetts and our nation to thrive, you need to feel as much at home in Shanghai, Sao Paulo or Johannesburg as you do in your own community.’
Three people ‘- Cole, Molly Corbett Broad, the first woman president of the American Council on Education and Barry Shrage, president of Combined Jewish Philanthropies ‘- received honorary degrees. The Senior Gift Drive presented Northeastern with a check for $15,520.
