Award-winning music producer, Nobel Laureate professor to speak at 2010 graduation ceremonies

For many students, Friday and Saturday’s commencement ceremonies will mark the concluding steps in their graduate or undergraduate educations.

This year, IU will have the opportunity to present these students with final words of advice from the University’s own Nobel Laureate professor, Elinor Ostrom, and 27-time Grammy Award-winning musician Quincy Jones.

Ceremonies for post-baccalaureate degree candidates will take place at 3 p.m. Friday in Assembly Hall. Professor Ostrom will address these graduate students.

At IU Bloomington, Ostrom has been previously named Distinguished Professor and Arthur F. Bentley Professor of Political Science. Ostrom is also a professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

Ostrom’s research in management of common-pool resources and economics won her a Nobel Prize in Economics in December 2009. She was the first woman to win this prestigious award.

IU spokesman Larry MacIntyre said IU president Michael McRobbie’s decision to have Ostrom address students was an easy choice.

“President McRobbie felt it was appropriate for professor Ostrom to speak to grad students, not only for her recent Nobel Laureate award, but also because she has devoted so much time to master’s and Ph.D. students over the years.”

Using a catalyst of solutions to environmental issues, Ostrom’s speech will remind students to look at challenges in many different ways and never to settle on one separate solution. Ostrom said, especially when it comes to sustainability, students entering a changing workforce should remember that there is never a “panacea” or “cure-all” to any particular problem.

“We can do harm if we carry with us simple solutions to complex problems and try to impose them every time there is a problem,” Ostrom will tell the students. “As citizens, policy analysts, and officials, we need to propose policies that have built-in learning and adaptation capabilities.”

Jones will address students during undergraduate commencement ceremonies Saturday. Jones has been nominated for nearly 80 Grammys, an all-time record for the award ceremony. He has won a Grammy 27 times, including in 1991 when he won the Grammy Legend Award.

Jones is a successful composer, recording artist, and television producer. His jazz and R&B style has been incorporated in his work for many albums and more than 33 different film scores. He has broken racial boundaries by becoming an executive at Mercury Records in the early 1960s and continuously advocating for African Americans since then through an enormous amount of humanitarian efforts.

Not only will undergraduates get a chance to hear this legend speak, they will also witness Jones receive an honorary Doctorate of Music.  

“In addition to being a successful musician, Jones is also very active in humanitarian causes,” MacIntyre said. “He was nominated by Distinguished Professor David Baker in the School of Music.”

Senior Abby Ogunbekun said she is excited about the upcoming ceremonies. She explained what she hopes to hear on Saturday.

“Keep the speeches optimistic,” she said. “Even if the economy is bad, we want to hear a message about opportunities for graduating seniors.”