Author John Hope Franklin, NPR Correspondent Nina Totenberg, Opera Diva Catherine Malfitano and Former Czech Prime Minister Václav Klaus Are Among Speakers June 12, 13

DePaul University will close its historic centennial year with the university’s 101^st commencement, awarding more than 3,000 diplomas to graduates from eight schools and colleges June 12 and 13.

Prolific African-American historian and author John Hope Franklin, National Public Radio (NPR) Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg, world-renowned opera soprano Catherine Malfitano, former Czech Prime Minister Václav Klaus and technology executive Curtis J. Crawford will deliver graduation addresses at the five ceremonies of DePaul’s commencement weekend. The five speakers also will receive honorary degrees along with Gerda Weissmann Klein, a Holocaust survivor and inspiring author, and Jack M. Greenberg, McDonald's Corp. president and chief executive officer (CEO).

"We approach the end of our 100th year celebration absolutely assured that the university’s Vincentian mission is stronger than ever," said the Rev. John P. Minogue, DePaul president. "I am extremely proud of the graduates, many of whom contributed outstanding service to our community in the spirit of St.Vincent."

The university’s namesake, St. Vincent de Paul, a 17^th century French priest who founded the Vincentian Catholic order, was a strong advocate of community service. As part of the university’s centennial commemoration, hundreds of faculty, staff, students and friends fanned out across the city to participate in community service days.

The centennial year also was a year of accomplishment for the university. DePaul became the largest Catholic university by enrollment in the country and one of its faculty members, Law Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Details of DePaul’s five commencement ceremonies follow:

Curtis J. Crawford, president and CEO of ZiLOG, Inc., a Campbell, California-based supplier of semiconductor products, will deliver the graduation address and receive an honorary degree from DePaul’s School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems (CTI) at the combined CTI, School of Education and School for New Learning ceremony June 12. The ceremony beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the McCormick Place Convention Center, Lakeside Center Level Three, 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive.

A 1978 DePaul MBA graduate and native of Lockport, Ill., Crawford is a forceful advocate of the consumer-driven, systems-oriented approach to the electronics business. From 1996 to his appointment at ZiLOG last year, Crawford served as president of Lucent Technology's Microelectronics Group. Under his leadership, the business designed, manufactured and sold semiconductors and electronic components worldwide for applications in telecommunications, networked computing, multimedia, wireless and consumer electronics.

The School for New Learning will award an honorary degree to Gerda Weissmann Klein at the ceremony. Weissmann Klein is an author, historian, columnist and speaker whose autobiography, "All But My Life," has become a classic. The book, excerpted in high school textbooks, explores her dark years in Nazi captivity and her liberation from a death march by her future husband, an American Army officer. Klein’s story is part of the film "Testimony" shown continuously at the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. It is also the subject of the HBO film, "One Survivor Remembers," which won an Emmy, an Oscar and two Cable Ace awards.

At the combined School of Music and Theatre School ceremony that begins 11:45 a.m., June 12 at DePaul’s Merle Reskin Theatre, 60 E. Balbo Drive, opera singer Catherine Malfitano will deliver the graduation address and receive an honorary degree from the music school. Malfitano, who lives in Chicago, has appeared in all of the world’s leading opera houses including many performances at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Her stage repertoire of more than 60 roles spans operatic history, from Monteverdi to Bolcom. Among her awards is an Emmy for her 1992 live Rome performance of Tosca opposite Placido Domingo. Malfitano is a dedicated mentor of young talent, often giving master classes at DePaul and the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

The College of Law’s commencement will feature an address by Nina Totenberg, who will also receive an honorary degree. The law ceremony begins at 2:30 p.m. June 12 at the McCormick Place Convention Center, Lakeside Center Level Three.

A regular contributor to NPR’s "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered," Totenberg has been widely recognized and honored for her expert coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court and national legal affairs. Totenberg broke the story of Oklahoma Law Professor Anita Hill’s allegations of sexual harassment by Judge Clarence Thomas, igniting a national debate on sexual harassment issues. She also broke the story of Judge Douglas Ginsburg’s use of marijuana, raising issues of changing social values and credibility. Newsweek dubbed her the "crème de la crème" of NPR.

Václav Klaus, president, Parliament of the Czech Republic Chamber of Deputies, will speak and receive an honorary degree at the College of Commerce graduation ceremony. The ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. June 13 at the McCormick Place Convention Center.  From 1989 to 1992, Klaus served as his country’s first non-communist finance minister in more than 40 years. He was elected Prime Minister of the Czech Republic in 1992, a position he held until 1996.

Klaus has been Vice-Chairman of the European Democratic Union since 1996, and last year he was elected President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament. Klaus’ views on inflation, monetary and fiscal policies, comparative economic systems and economic transformations have been published in many scientific journals. He has authored 19 books.

Jack M. Greenberg also will receive an honorary degree at the Commerce ceremony. Last August, he became president and CEO of McDonald’s Corp., a company he has worked for since 1982. He also became chairman of McDonald’s board of directors this month. Before joining McDonald’s, Greenberg was director of tax services for the Midwest region and the Chicago offices of Arthur Young & Co., where he had worked since 1964. Greenberg graduated from DePaul’s College of Commerce and College of Law, and he is vice chairman of DePaul’s Board of Trustees.

Noted historian John Hope Franklin, 84, will deliver an address at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences commencement, which begins at 1:30 p.m. June 13 at McCormick Place. Hope, the James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of History at Duke University, has written a dozen books, including his best known work, "From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans," now in its seventh edition. His most recent book is "Runaway Slaves: Rebels on the Plantation." A native of Oklahoma, Hope received his master’s and doctoral degrees in history at Harvard. He has taught at more than a half-dozen universities and was chairman of the University of Chicago history department from 1967-70.

He has served on many national commissions and delegations, including the National Council on the Humanities, the President’s Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, the President Advisory Commission on Ambassadorial Appointments, and as U. S delegate to the 21st General Conference of UNESCO. Franklin has been extensively written about in articles and books and was the subject of the film "First Person Singular: John Hope Franklin," aired on PBS in 1997.