Commencement Weekend
The Commencement program will begin at 10:30 a.m. on the lawn of Samuel Mather Hall. (The rainsite is the Kenyon Athletic Center.) In addition to presenting diplomas to graduating seniors, the College will confer honorary degrees on Gregory and on author Robb Forman Dew. Also receiving honorary degrees will be retiring faculty members Roy T. Wortman Professor of History Reed S. Browning, and Professor of Economics Richard J. Trethewey, as well as former Dean of Students Donald J. Omahan and retiring Vice President for Library and Information Services Daniel B. Temple.
The Baccalaureate speaker this year will be Professor of Anthropology David N. Suggs, who joined the Kenyon faculty in 1987. He holds a bachelor's degree in comparative religions and a master's degree in sociology from Texas Christian University and a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from the University of Florida. Trained in medical anthropology with an area focus on southern Africa, Suggs has conducted extensive research in Botswana on gender, life course, and alcohol consumption. He has also published on the theory and anthropology of sexuality. Most recently, his research has focused on alcohol consumption among college students, specifically those at Kenyon. The Baccalaureate service will take place on Mather Lawn (rainsite Kenyon Athletic Center) on Friday, May 18, at 1:30 p.m.
As NBC's chief White House correspondent, Gregory traveled with George W. Bush throughout the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. He was the leader of NBC's 2000 election night coverage from Austin, Texas, and was the only network correspondent aboard Air Force One with President Bush on Election Day 2004. Gregory has accompanied the president on all of his major foreign trips, and he was the only network correspondent to tour Ground Zero with the chief executive.
Gregory, who joined NBC News in 1995, has covered stories ranging from the criminal and civil trials of O. J. Simpson, to the Oklahoma bombing trials, to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton before his assignment to the White House beat.
Gregory earned a bachelor's degree in international studies from American University, where he now serves on the advisory council to the dean of the School of International Service. He was named the school's alumnus of the year in 2005.