Class Day

Armen A. Avanessians, SEAS ’83 and a recently named University trustee, will be the Class Day speaker for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the school announced Monday. “Mr. Avanessians is the perfect example of how engineering has become a ‘liberal arts’ education for the 21st century,” Gerald Navratil, interim dean of SEAS, said in a press release. “His background and accomplishments highlight how education in traditional engineering disciplines allows flexibility to develop diverse career paths.”

Barnard’s 116th Commencement ceremony, which will be held at Columbia due to Nexus construction, will feature an address by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. New Yorker editor David Remnick, tennis player Billie Jean King, and Harlem activist and Head Start program organizer Thelma Davidson Adair will also be present to receive Medals of Distinction, Barnard’s highest honor.