Harvard To Confer 6,580 Degrees

University President Lawrence H. Summers will award 6,580 degrees to the Class of 2005 and the students of the graduate schools this morning at Harvard’s 354th Commencement exercises.

Actor John A. Lithgow ’67 will deliver the keynote address. Lithgow is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actor, who is well known for his role as an earth-dwelling extraterrestial on the sitcom “Third Rock from the Sun.” Lithgow also helped to create Harvard’s annual Arts First festival, and returns to Harvard to host the event. (Please see story, page A11.)

Lithgow will receive a second, honorary degree from the University.

The National Weather Service forecasts high temperatures of 82 degrees this morning, with a chance of showers before noon.

The College will confer 1,590 degrees: 1,573 bachelor of arts degrees and 17 bachelor of science degrees, according to the Harvard News Office.

Of the graduating class, 830 are men and 760 are women.

Seventy-five candidates, who constitute nearly five percent of the graduating class, earned summa cum laude diplomas, the highest degree awarded by the College, in their fields of concentration. Sixty-two candidates will receive magna cum laude with highest honors, based on their entire coursework and overall grade point average (GPA), and 184 will be given magna cum laude in their fields of concentration. Thirty-nine will be awarded cum laude in general studies, while 476 will receive cum laude in their fields of concentration.

Seven hundred fifty-four will be given non-honors degrees, a marked increase since last year, when only 149 students did not receive honors. (Please see story, page A4.).

Eight hundred and eighty-four candidates at the Business School will be given master of business administration degrees and six will receive doctor of business administration degrees.

Six hundred and ninety-two candidates will receive degrees from the Law School—542 doctor of law, 149 master of laws and one doctor of juridical science.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will award a total of 820 degrees. Of those, 334 are master of arts, 66 master of science and 420 doctor of philosophy.

The Medical School will award a total of 167 degrees. Of those, 143 doctor of medicine degrees and 24 master in medical sciences degrees.

Five hundred and sixty-five candidates of the John F. Kennedy School of Government will receive degrees. Of those, 207 will receive master in public administration (mid-career) degrees and 197 will be given master in public policy degrees.

The Graduate School of Education will confer 699 degrees—643 master of education, 53 doctor of education and three certificates of advanced study.

The School of Public Health will award 429 degrees, which include 213 master of public health and 162 master of science degrees.

The Divinity School will confer 166 total degrees, including 94 master of theological studies degrees.

The School of Dental Medicine will award a total of 93 degrees.

Two hundred and fifty-seven candidates of the Graduate School of Design will receive diplomas, with the most students graduating from master in architecture and master in design studies programs, 88 and 55 candidates respectively.

Four hundred thirty-six candidates of the Extension School will also be awarded diplomas.

The Commencement exercises will be broadcast on Cambridge Cable Channel 54 and Boston Cable Channel 12.

—Staff writer William C. Marra can be reached at wmarra@fas.harvard.edu.