University Launches Yearlong Centennial Celebration with June 13-14, 1998 Graduation

Alvaro Arzú Irigoyen, the president of Guatemala, and Miles Lerman, chairman of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, are among 10 speakers and honorary degree recipients who will participate in DePaul University's 100th Commencement on June 13 and 14, 1998.

The historic commencement weekend marks the beginning of a yearlong series of events to celebrate the university's centennial. Five graduation ceremonies will be held over the two days to award diplomas to 3,900 students from DePaul's eight schools and colleges.

The eight others to be honored are: Richard J. Franke, chairman of the Chicago Humanities Festival; Paul Vallas, chief executive officer of the Chicago Public Schools; Mary Catherine Bateson, cultural anthropologist and linguist; Michael M. Murad, vice chairman and chief executive officer of the International Bank of Asia; Martin Rosenberg, executive director of the Illinois CPA Society; Patricia O'Donnell Ewers, president of Pace University; William B. Graham, chairman emeritus of Baxter International, Inc.; and Ed Chambers, executive director of the Industrial Areas Foundation.

President Arzú will receive an honorary degree and deliver the address at DePaul's College of Commerce commencement on June 14 . The ceremony begins at 9 a.m. at the Rosemont Horizon, 6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont. This is Arzú's first visit to Chicago, where approximately 100,000 people of Guatemalan descent live.

Arzú, 51, will be recognized by DePaul for his outstanding leadership in achieving the Guatemalan peace accords, and in working for the development and modernization of Guatemala. A successful businessman, Arzú served as Minister of Foreign Relations and Mayor of Guatemala City before ascending to the presidency. He was elected as a candidate of the National Advancement Party to a four-year-term as president in January 1996. In December of that year, Arzú and leftist rebels signed a historic peace agreement that ended 36 years of civil war in the Central-American country. Since then, Arzú has fought corruption, launched infrastructure improvements and concentrated his efforts on privatizing services and increasing foreign investment in Guatemala.

The College of Commerce also will confer honorary degrees upon Rosenberg and Murad during the ceremony. Rosenberg will be honored for his leadership of the 26,000-member Illinois CPA Society. He has been named by Accounting Today as one of the top 100 most influential leaders in accounting for three consecutive years. The author of the book "Opportunities in Accounting," Rosenberg also is executive director of the Illinois CPA Foundation and CPAs for the Public Interest.

Murad became CEO of the International Bank of Asia 10 years ago. During his tenure, the bank became the first financial institution in Hong Kong to secure a full rating from Standard & Poors. Murad has concentrated the bank's strategy on delivering an extensive range of retail banking services to medium and small companies and middle-income families. With Murad's support, DePaul's Kellstadt Graduate School of Business launched an MBA program in Hong Kong for employees of the bank last year.

Lerman will present the commencement address at the College of Law's graduation ceremony, which will begin at 9 a.m. June 13 at Medinah Temple, 600 N. Wabash. A native of Poland, Lerman fought in the resistance during World War II and lost his mother and siblings to the Holocaust. Lerman rebuilt his life in the United States with his wife, Chris, a survivor of Auschwitz. He is a prominent Jewish leader and successful businessman in the petroleum and real estate industries.

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter appointed Lerman to the U. S. Holocaust Memorial Council, which was charged by Congress to build a Holocaust Museum in tribute to the victims of Nazi atrocities. Lerman became chairman in 1993.

The museum opened its doors in April 1993 and has become one of the most frequently visited educational sites in Washington D.C., with more than 10 million visitors since its opening. The museum also houses the U.S. Holocaust Research Institute, an international resource for research in Holocaust and genocide studies. Most recently, Lerman became head of an international delegation that works with the Polish government to protect the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp complex as an international museum.

Franke will speak and receive an honorary degree at the combined School of Music and Theatre School graduation ceremonies at noon on June 13 at the Merle Reskin Theatre, 60 E. Balbo Drive. A native of Springfield, Illinois, Franke spent his entire 40-year business career in investment banking at John Nuveen & Co., beginning as a summer intern while earning an MBA from Harvard and working his way up to chairman and CEO before retiring in June 1996.

Franke maintains an active interest in promoting humanities and higher education. As Chairman of the Illinois Humanities Council, Franke spearheaded the development of the Chicago Humanities Festival, now an annual event that brings together Chicago's premier cultural institutions in a literary and artistic celebration of the humanities. He has won many awards including a National Humanities Medal presented to him at the White House in 1997.

Bateson, a best-selling author, scholar and George Mason professor of anthropology and English, will deliver the graduation address at the combined ceremony for the School for New Learning, School of Education, and School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems. The ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. on June 13 at Medinah Temple.

Bateson, the daughter of Margaret Mead, has written books that include: "Peripheral Visions: Learning Along the Way," "Composing a Life, With a Daughter's Eye: A Memoir of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson," and "Thinking AIDS" with Richard Goldsby. Her work is rooted in cultural anthropology and the study of communication, with recent emphasis on adaptation to change in the life cycle and gender roles.

Vallas will receive an honorary degree from the School of Education at the ceremony. A graduate of the Chicago Public Schools, Vallas now oversees the system's 557 schools and an operating budget of more than $2 billion. His bold changes within the school system have been nationally recognized--and debated--by educators, policy makers and parents.

A former DePaul English professor and university administrator, Ewers will return to deliver the address at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences commencement at 2 p.m. June 14 at the Rosemont Horizon. Ewers became the fifth president of Pace University on July 1, 1990--the first woman to assume that role. Ewers leads a diversified, comprehensive university with a budget of more than $166 million, an endowment in excess of $50 million, and an enrollment of more than 13,000 students on five campuses in New York City and Westchester County.

Graham, who served as CEO and chairman of Baxter International, Inc. during his 50 years at the company, will receive an honorary degree during the ceremony. During his tenure, the company established one of the most outstanding growth records in American industry. Graham is also chairman of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and is actively involved in many other charities and local institutions.

Chambers also will receive an honorary degree at the ceremony. Mentored by Dorothy Day, Saul Alinsky and the Benedictine Monks of Collegeville, Minn., Chambers has devoted his life to helping others. He leads an international foundation that trains leaders and professional organizers to rebuild civil society across faith lines, racial divisions and class differences.

GUATEMALAN PRESIDENT WILL MAKE FIRST VISIT TO CHICAGO

TO ADDRESS DEPAUL'S COLLEGE OF COMMERCE COMMENCEMENT JUNE 14

Guatemalan President Alvaro Arzú Irigoyen will make his first visit to Chicago in June to receive an honorary degree from DePaul University's College of Commerce and to deliver the college's commencement address. The graduation ceremony begins at 9 a.m. on June 14 at the Rosemont Horizon, 6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont.

Arzú will spend a total of four days in Chicago, visiting with members of the Guatemalan community and city and state leaders. An estimated 100,000 people of Guatemalan descent live in the Chicago area. Arzú will be recognized by DePaul for his outstanding leadership in achieving the Guatemalan peace accords, and in working for the development and modernization of Guatemala.

Elected to a four-year term as president in January 1996, Arzú dedicated most of his first year in office to ending the Central American country's 36-year civil war. His efforts culminated in the signing of a historic peace accord with leftist rebels in December 1996.

In April 1998, when Guatemalan Roman Catholic Bishop Juan Jose Gerardi Conedera was murdered after issuing a report on human rights violations during the civil war, Arzú denounced the killing and appointed a committee to conduct an investigation. A suspect is in custody.

During his tenure as president, Arzú, 51, has fought corruption, launched infrastructure improvements and concentrated his efforts on improving Guatemala's government and economy through privatization and foreign investment.

A successful businessman and public sector administrator, Arzú served as Minister of Foreign Relations, Mayor of Guatemala City and Director of the Guatemalan Tourist Commission before becoming a candidate for president as a member of the National Advancement Party, which he co-founded.

The College of Commerce commencement is one of five ceremonies that will be held on June 13 and 14 for 3,900 students graduating from DePaul's eight colleges and schools. The ceremonies represent DePaul's 100th commencement and mark the beginning of a yearlong series of events to celebrate the university's centennial.

In addition to Arzú, The College of Commerce will confer honorary degrees upon Michael M. Murad, vice chairman and chief executive officer of the International Bank of Asia, and Martin Rosenberg, executive director of the Illinois CPA Society.

Other recipients of DePaul honorary degrees during the centennial commencement weekend will be: Miles Lerman, chairman of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council; Richard J. Franke, chairman of the Chicago Humanities Festival; Paul Vallas, chief executive officer of the Chicago Public Schools; Mary Catherine Bateson, noted cultural anthropologist and linguist; Patricia O'Donnell Ewers, president of Pace University; William B. Graham, chairman emeritus of Baxter International, Inc.; and Ed Chambers, executive director of the Industrial Areas Foundation.

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