Newswise — U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge will address graduates at the University of Maryland's commencement services on May 20.
"We all look forward to his address with great anticipation," says UM President C.D. Mote Jr. "His experiences as governor of Pennsylvania and Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security give him a unique platform for discussions of education and security, both so very critical to our nation."
Ridge twice served twice as Pennsylvania's governor from 1995 until Oct. 2001 when, after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush appointed him Director of Homeland Security. When Congress elevated Homeland Security to a cabinet-level position, Ridge was named its first Secretary on January 24, 2003.Liz Huntley and Jaime Cheret, co-chairs of the student-led speaker selection committee, believe Ridge appeals to a wide audience. "Many students will enter government work after graduation while virtually everyone will be affected in one way or another by the work of the Department of Homeland Security," Huntley says. "Secretary Ridge brings a great deal of life experience and insight from which the Class of 2004 can benefit."
Cheret sees a parallel between the world Ridge confronted after Sept. 11 and the unknown futures graduates must now face. She says, "Secretary Ridge entered an uncertain world after Sept 11 to take on a new organization that had never existed before. Now, as we stand poised to do the same, I can see no one more fit to send us out into the world."
The campus-wide commencement will take place in the Comcast Center at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 20. Individual department and school ceremonies will be held the following day. For more information, see http://www.urhome.umd.edu/commencement/.
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