Spring 2009 — Volume 25, Issue 3
Inside this issue
Shriver and Mansbridge Speak at Commencement
Timothy Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics Inc., and Peter Mansbridge, veteran news anchor of the Canadian Broadcasting Co.'s "The National," were the featured speakers at Niagara University's commencement exercises May 16 and 17.
Shriver delivered the undergraduate commencement address Sunday, May 17, in Alumni Arena on the State University at Buffalo campus, while Mansbridge spoke at the graduate school's commencement Saturday, May 16, in the upper level of the Gallagher Center. Both received honorary degrees during the ceremonies.
Shriver is the son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of the Special Olympics. He has led the organization for the past 13 years. Last year, Special Olympics celebrated its 40th anniversary with almost 3 million athletes in more than 180 countries around the world. Before joining Special Olympics, Shriver created the New Haven (Conn.) Public Schools' Social Development Project, now considered the leading school-based prevention effort in the United States.
Mansbridge, a native of London, has covered events such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the deaths of Princess Diana and Pope John Paul II, and the war in Afghanistan. He has held the title of chief correspondent and evening news anchor of CBC television news for 20 years.
