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DAVID GERGEN is a political analyst, editor, best-selling author, and Harvard professor who has spent his professional life immersed in American public life. He is currently professor of public service and director of the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is also editor-at-large at U.S. News & World Report and a senior political analyst for CNN. Gergen has served in the White House as an advisor to four U.S. Presidents. In 2000, he published the best-selling book Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton. |
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SHIRLEY M. TILGHMAN, PH.D., a highly accomplished molecular biologist and educator, became the 19th president of Princeton University in 2001. As a researcher, she made a number of important scientific breakthroughs related to gene behavior and development, including participating in the cloning of the first mammalian gene. She is a national advocate for the advancement of women in science and has worked to promote efforts that encourage and enable young scientists. In 2007, she was named one of America’s best leaders by U.S. News & World Report. |
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MAJOR GENERAL CHARLES F. BOLDEN JR. became an astronaut in 1981 after serving 13 years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a pilot during the Vietnam conflict. After his selection by NASA, Bolden participated in four space flights, logging more than 680 hours in space. He retired in 2003 after almost 35 years on active duty in the Marine Corps after serving as commanding general of the Third Marine Aircraft Wing in San Diego, Calif. He now shares his knowledge on leadership with students and other leaders around the country. |
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SHIRLEY ANN JACKSON, PH.D., moderator, is the 18th President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y. Describing her as “a national treasure,” the National Science Board selected Jackson as its 2007 recipient of the prestigious Vannevar Bush Award for “a lifetime of achievements in scientific research, education, and senior statesman-like contributions to public policy.” Jackson is a former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. |
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| “As our students prepare for the transition of graduation, and as our nation prepares for a transition in our national leadership, these distinguished honorees represent the best of what change can bring. Each brings a valuable perspective to the way we view the impacts on our society of the national political debate, of the technological leadership we exercise, and of the rapid evolution of our higher education system.” — Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson |
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