NFL Commissioner Goodell to speak at Commencement
On May 29, a major figure in the current landscape of professional sports will be addressing the 2010 graduating class of UMass Lowell at commencement. National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell will be giving a speech in the Tsongas Center in front of more than 2,000 students receiving their bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.
The New York native succeeded former commissioner Paul Tagliabue in 2006, the end result of a career that started with an internship position with the NFL. Goodell was chosen to speak at commencement because of his accomplishments and strong character.
“He really is a great example of how persistence pays off and how one does not need to compromise their values to move up,” said longtime friend Chancellor Marty Meehan.
In addition to speaking, Goodell will be receiving an honorary posthumous degree on behalf of his father, former U.S. Senator Charles Goodell. Senator Goodell was involved in civil rights and the advancements of education in the late 1960s.
“I learned a lot from my father about the importance of acting on your values and doing what’s right, no matter what the pressure and opposition,” said commissioner Goodell.
Also receiving honorary degrees at commencement are Doris Kearns Goodwin and Richard Goodwin. Kearns Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize winning historian who worked under the Lyndon B. Johnson administration and Goodwin is a well renowned speech writer who drafted speeches for Al Gore and Robert Kennedy.
Kearns Goodwin and Goodwin will be holding a program open to everyone on the day before commencement.
“We are looking forward to welcoming Doris Kearns Goodwin and Richard Goodwin to our commencement events. Their special program, ‘A Conversation with Doris and Dick’ will allow our students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the public, the rare opportunity to hear the Goodwins speak together about their experiences working in the White House and offering their unique perspectives on American history,” said Chancellor Meehan.
Others receiving honorary degrees are Professor of Urban Education and author Gloria Ladson-Billings and theoretical physicist Alan Lightman.
Ladson-Billings is a professor at The University of Wisconsin-Madison who has written books on African American education such as “The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children”, “Crossing over to Canaan: The Journey of New Teachers in Diverse Classrooms” and “Beyond the Big House: African American Educators on Teacher Education.”
Lightman has made significant contributions in the field of astrophysics, and his book “Einstein’s Dream” was an international best seller.
Commencement is the culmination of the hard work of the graduates of 2010, and this year’s honorary degree recipients are prime examples of what to aspire to in life after college.
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