A Graduation Double Bill

Although Bill Gates has long been Harvard’s most famous dropout—a legendary entrepreneur, the world’s richest man, and an icon of the computer age—it is appropriate that he is only returning to Harvard to take an honorary degree now that he is also known as the world’s most generous philanthropist. We applaud Harvard for recognizing his contribution to society and welcome Gates back to Cambridge to deliver the keynote address at commencement.

It would have been easy—not to mention financially lucrative—for Harvard to have given Gates an honorary degree at any point in the last decade or so. Regardless of one’s opinion of Microsoft, Gates founded and is the face of one of the most visible and vital companies in the computer revolution. To many, Gates’ achievements in designing software and marketing personal computers to the public is worthy of high accolade.

In the past several years, however, Gates has had a far greater and nobler impact on the world through his philanthropy. With an endowment of $33 million, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation gave away $1.55 billion in 2005 alone. From working to cure diseases in the third world to funding improvements in American public schools, the Gates Foundation has established itself as the central presence in worldwide philanthropy.

Gates has, however, gone far above and beyond giving away a vast fortune. He could easily have simply written a check, but instead, he has become a philanthropic guru. He has traveled around the world to gather first-hand knowledge and has hired the world’s top experts to advise him on how to make the greatest impact with each dollar.

Gates’ tremendous passion for and dedication to his philanthropic work is immediately apparent. His commitment to charity is best illustrated by his imminent retirement from day-to-day work at Microsoft so that he can spend more time running his foundation. For their sheer dedication and enthusiasm, Gates and his wife Melinda were recognized with the singer Bono as Time Magazine’s 2005 Persons of the Year.

We also commend the Senior Class Committee on its choice of former U.S. President Bill Clinton as Class Day speaker. Like Gates, Clinton has heavily involved himself in giving; his philanthropic organization has devoted itself to addressing some of the most pressing issues of the day, from HIV/AIDS to climate change. Though Clinton’s selection is a break from the recent tradition of choosing comedians for the class day speech, it is an eminently worthy one.

We can think of no greater way to send the Class of 2007 into the world than with remarks from two figures who are world-renowned for dedicating themselves to helping others. It is particularly fitting that Gates, despite his achievements at Microsoft, has finally earned his Harvard degree—albeit 30 years behind schedule—in recognition of his philanthropic contributions to mankind.