| Feature |
| 2007 Commencement |
On May 11, Colorado School of Mines granted the largest number of bachelor's degrees in the School's history. Spirits remained jubilant throughout the two-and-a-half-hour ceremony, despite an almost cloudless sky and the mercury climbing to almost 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Festivities had begun the evening before at the Graduation and Alumni Bangquet, which had been planned for the Green Center's Friedhoff Hall, but had to be moved to Volk Gymnasium to accommodate the 550 guests who registered. A surprise visit from Colorado Governor Bill Ritter kicked the evening off with an exciting start. Repeating some of the themes from his March visit to campus, he congratulated graduates on their achievements and remarked on the key role Mines plays in the modern world, particularly in energy. The keynote speaker for the evening was Stephen Bechtel, chairman (retired) and a director of Bechtel Group. Echoing some of the governor's ideas, he spoke of the critical role applied scientists and engineers play in modern society. Bechtel went on to identify three key factors that will keep this year's graduates busy in the coming decades: displacing dependence on foreign oil with environmentally sensitive energy solutions; mitigating the risk of natural disasters in a world made fragile by dependence on technology and complex systems; and the massive demands of "a Third World that wants to move toward a First World standard of living." A packed program of brief speeches and awards followed Bechtel's remarks. Too lengthy to repeat here, a complete list of 2007 student and faculty awardees can be found on the Mines magazine website, along with a complete transcript of Bechtel's remarks. The next day dawned clear and warm. As the faculty processed down the Commons in full regalia, a slight breeze rustled the flags of the many nations represented by 2007 graduates. President Scoggins opened the ceremony by welcoming families and friends of the Class of 2007 to campus. Daniel Ritchie, chancellor emeritus of Denver University, CEO of Denver Center for the Performing Arts and one of this yuear's honorary degree recipients, delivered the commencement address, speaking on finding personal fulfillment through a life of service and integrity. He reflected on his own graduation from Harvard Business School more than 50 years ago, remarking on how his most successful classmates are those for whom service and integrity have remained core values, adding "most of the snakes have been run over." (A full transcript of Ritchie's remarks can be found at URL.) The senior class president, Jennifer Cho, reminisced on all that is unique about a Mines eduaction - where else would you have to carry a 10-pound rock up a mountain, only to get covered with a bucket of whitewash when you got there? She ended by congratulating the class, saying, "We've made it through one of the hardest and most demanding technical institutions in the U.S. Let's go show them what we're made of!" As Mines bade a fond farewell to its largest undergraduate class in its history, the Alumni Association welcomed that same class into the extended Mines community. Honorary Degree Recipients
Distinguished Achievement Medals
Outstanding Faculty Awards
Outstanding Student Awards
Outstanding Athlete Awards
Student Service Awards
International Student Award
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Fall 2007
