Stanford’s 119th Commencement Weekend

More than 25,000 family members and friends gathered for Stanford’s 119th Commencement Weekend. Among the highlights on Saturday were a Baccalaureate address by Eboo Patel, executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core and the Class Day Lecture by Philosophy Professor Debra Satz. On Sunday, family members and friends will be in Stanford Memorial Stadium to cheer on the class of 2010 as the university awards 1,722 bachelor’s degrees; 2,100 master’s degrees; and 980 doctoral degrees. Below are highlights of some of the events.

Baccalaureate Celebration: Eboo Patel urges the graduates to have one person in their lives who is a ’little bit crazy’

Eboo Patel told the Class of 2010 that he hoped each one of them would have at least one person in their lives who is "a little bit crazy." Speaking at Saturday morning’s Baccalaureate ceremony on the Main Quad, Patel, executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core, likened that person to St. Francis of Assisi or Don Quixote. "Who thinks that windmills can be giants," he said. "Who cannot pass a flock of birds without stopping to preach the Gospel. Someone willing to take on the Big Nurse so that the loony bin can watch the World Series. Someone who insists on lighting out for the territory ahead of the rest, because he can’t stand the Aunt Sallies of civilization." The Baccalaureate, a multifaith celebration, began with a call to prayer with three strokes of a Buddhist singing bowl and ended with an energetic drumming song, "Whirlwind," played Stanford Taiko. In between were prayers and songs from many traditions. The audience recited "A Prayer of the Objibway Nation," which was printed on their programs, and listened as Talisman, a Stanford a cappella group, sang two songs, including the African American anthem "Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing." There were readings from Christian, Sufi and Jewish perspectives.

In her Class Day Lecture, philosophy Professor Debra Satz argued that "noxious" markets are a reflection of some of our most intractable problems and that they will not go away until we address the underlying issues. "Never forget there are some goods that markets do not honor and money cannot buy," she said. "Find these goods. Treasure them. But don’t keep them to yourselves. Spread them around. … Take an interest in the lives of others." A highlight of Commencement Weekend for more than 40 years, the Senior Class Day lecture is given by a distinguished professor chosen by graduating students. Satz, the Marta Sutton Weeks Professor of Ethics in Society, is also the director of the Bowen H. McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society.

Professor Daniel Ho’s own citizenship experience with a careless lawyer and a kind immigration examiner taught him a lesson he passed on to the Stanford Law graduates at a ceremony in Canfield Courtyard on Saturday. "The degree you are about to receive is a trust," Ho, an associate law professor and the Robert E. Paradise Faculty Fellow for Excellence in Teaching and Research, told the Class of 2010. "We trust you to exercise good judgment. To wield discretion with compassion. To employ law in advance of justice. To question the question marks." The class included 168 candidates for the degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence and 22 candidates for Master of Laws degrees.