In his May 9 commencement address at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School ofManagement, Howard Lutnick, Chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, will tell graduating MBAs that the heart and soul of a business resides inside its people andtranscends successin the marketplace.
A case in point is Cantor Fitzgerald’s own tremendous renewal after losing 658 of its 960 employees on Sept. 11. Cantor’s rebuilding was driven by its commitment to help the families of the victims. In the five years following Sept. 11, as the firm has grown larger and more diverse than in 2001, it has donated over $180 million to the families as well as committing another $10 million enabling theNationalSept. 11 Memorial & Museum to reach its fundraising goal.
Lutnick was not at the World Trade Center at the time of the attacks; he was taking his son to his first day of kindergarten. He was at the site, however, when Tower One fell. His story is detailed in On Top of the World: Cantor Fitzgerald, Howard Lutnick, & 9/11: A Story of Loss and Renewal by Tom Barbash.
Lutnick will speak to MBA graduates at approximately 10:30 a.m. on Curry Lawn following the address at 9 a.m. on Alumni Lawn by Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos. It is Zeppos’ first Commencement address. Undergraduates will receive their degrees on Alumni Law while graduate and professional students will adjourn for their own ceremonies. More than 3,000 degrees will be granted by Vanderbilt this year to approximately 1,400 undergraduates and 1,100 graduate students.
Bob Geldof, the lead singer with the rock band Boomtown Rats who raised more than $120 million for famine relief in Africa with the Band Aid, Live Aid and Sport Aid events in the 1980s, will speak at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 8, on Alumni Lawn as the central event of Senior Day. He will be awarded the Nichols-Chancellor Medal and a cash prize of $100,000.
A series of free educational seminars featuring Vanderbilt faculty will be available from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on Senior Day, including sessions on the upcoming presidential election, public school issues, Parkinson’s disease, AIDS in Africa and the penal system in the United States.
In case of severe weather, Senior Class Day and/or Commencement will be moved to Memorial Gymnasium. Those unsure where the ceremony will be held may call 615-322-7311 after 6 a.m. the day of the event.
The addresses by Geldof and Zeppos will be webcast live and archived for later viewing. Links will be posted at www.vanderbilt.edu. The main Commencement ceremony and undergraduate Commencement exercises will be videotaped. Further information about Commencement activities is available at www.vanderbilt.edu/commencement.
Media Contact: Jennifer Johnston (615) 322-NEWS
Jennifer.johnston@vanderbilt.edu