By Stephanie Vosk
The speakers for this year’s commencement ceremonies were announced by the university Monday.
Christine Todd Whitman, who will be the keynote speaker at the undergraduates’ ceremony, June 14, served as governor of New Jersey from 1993 to 2000 before being appointed head of the Environmental Protection Agency by President George W. Bush.
Whitman earned her B.A. from Wheaton College in 1968 and after serving in many elected and appointed government positions, lost the race for Senate against Democratic incumbent Bill Bradley in 1990, garnering 49 percent of the vote.
Songwriter and performer Brian Wilson, of the Beach Boys, will also be presented with an honorary degree from Northeastern at the ceremony.
John Henry and Tom Werner, who, along with other investors, paid $660 million for Beantown’s own Red Sox, will speak at the graduate school commencement later that same day following the undergraduate ceremony.
Werner, a former Forbes 400 member who earned his fortune in television production, joined with Florida financier Henry to purchase the Boston Red Sox in 2001.
The graduating class of the Northeastern School of Law will be honored by Margaret Marshall, the first woman to head the 311-year-old Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
The South Africa native has shown a strong committment to higher education through her positions as vice president and General Council at Harvard University.
Barry Scheck, a member of O.J. Simpson’s defense team, will also receive an honorary degree. Scheck and his partner, Peter Neufeld, co-founded and co-directed the “Innocence Project,” which encouraged DNA testing to help free prisoners.
The search for commencement speakers began with many prospects, but the university is confident in its choices.
“It’s a very long process that hopefully leads to solid speakers and honorary degree recipients,” said the Director of University Communications Ed Klotzbier.
He said that the university worked hard to ensure that “the class of ’03 can have a really exciting day in June.”
