The class included 20 students who had perfect 4.0 GPAs. In total, 662 master’s degrees, 157 doctoral degrees, and 1,145 bachelor’s degrees were awarded.

Director of the undergraduate program and clinical assistant professor Frank Wright was awarded the David M. Darrin Counseling Award, recognizing Wright for making an unusual contribution in the counseling of undergraduate students.

Five students were also honored at the ceremony. The Willie Stanton Award, presented to the seniors judged to have contributed the most in service to the student body, was awarded to Elizabeth Kelly and Trent Gillaspie. The Livingston W. Houston Citizenship Award, honoring the “first citizen of the college,” ranking high in character, leadership, scholarship, and athletic ability, was awarded to Brendan McGowan and Kelly Owen. The Leopold L. Balleisen Prize and the J. Erik Jonsson Award were given to Michael Milligan, for being a student athlete who has won a varsity letter in at least one sport during two undergraduate years and who stands highest academically in the senior class.

This year, Rensselaer honored three distinguished individuals in their professions. Charles Bolden, Jr., a retired U.S. Marine and astronaut, and Shirley M. Tilghman, the president of Princeton University, received honorary doctorates in science and engineering, respectively. David Gergen, a professor at Harvard University, political analyst for CNN, and a veteran advisor to four U.S. presidents, gave the commencement address to the class of 2008 and received the honorary degree of Doctor of Law.

As a professor at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Gergen said that working with students daily has taught him to “appreciate the differences in generational outlooks.”

In his words of wisdom to the class, he told graduates to “take great pride in your academic accomplishments ... [Rensselaer is] being transformed into a preeminence among all world universities.”

While sincere in his remarks, he also found time for humor, joking that there are few students in the country who can say they have graduated from a school that has “one plan, three mascots, and a thousand avatars.”

“We greet you at the beginning of your great careers,” he told graduates. Students, who hailed from 42 states and as many countries, will enter a myriad of fields, from engineering to arts, business, and the military. Many will seek to further their education; others will start their own companies as entrepreneurs.

Gergen admitted that the class was ready to make a good living, but wanted to make sure it was ready to make a good life.

In his remarks, Gergen told students they have a long path of discovery ahead, one that would allow them to reflect on who truly they are. “You must stop letting people define life for you and start defining your own life,” he added. He offered graduates three important steps for this.

First, he urged students to develop a moral compass. Citing his experience in government, he shared the importance of staying on course and not derailing yourself or others around you.

Second, developing a strong motivation and powerful drive are key factors in the solution to the “quiet crisis,” President Shirley Ann Jackson’s term for the shrinking scientific and technical talent base in the United States.

Third, Gergen encouraged students to attend to their “inner soul as well as [their] outer journey” as a way to achieve personal happiness.

Gergen, Jackson, and the two other honorary degree recipients had participated in the President’s Colloquy the night prior to Commencement, which centered on leadership in a sustainable global society. Many of Gergen’s remarks during the ceremony referenced their discussions, including Tilghman’s value for individuals with a “fire in the belly.” Tilghman also emphasized the importance of strong motivation and direction.