Harvard To Confer 6,871 Degrees

Interim University President Derek C. Bok will once again preside over morning exercises today, conferring 6,871 degrees to the 2007 graduates of the College and graduates of the University’s 10 schools.

Software pioneer and leading philanthropist William H. Gates will deliver the keynote address for Harvard’s 356th Commencement exercises. Gates, a member of the class of 1977 who dropped out his sophomore year, will receive an honorary degree from the University.

Gates is a major Harvard donor and primary benefactor of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest philanthropic organization in the world. With $33.4 billion, the foundation oversees the largest endowment any non-profit organization, surpassing even Harvard’s.

The College will confer 1,669 bachelor of arts degrees and 25 bachelor of sciences degrees, according to the Harvard News Office. Of the 1,694 graduates, 891 are men and 803 are women.

Of the Class of 2007 graduates, 73 students will receive summa cum laude diplomas, 50 will graduate magna cum laude with highest honors, 222 will graduate magna cum laude in field of concentration, 60 will graduate cum laude in general studies, and 507 will graduate cum laude in their field of concentration.

This year, 782 College students will receive non-honors degrees, the highest such number in nearly a decade.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will be awarding 963 degrees, including 340 master of arts, 65 master of science, and 556 doctor of philosophy.

The Business School will confer 900 master of business administration degrees and 5 doctor of business administration degrees.

The Law School will award 742 diplomas, of which 154 will be master of laws, 14 will be doctor of juridical science, and 574 will be doctor of law degrees.

The Medical School will confer 23 master in medical sciences degrees and 189 doctor of medicine degrees.

The School of Dental Medicine will award 91 diplomas.

The Kennedy School of Government will award 605 degrees. Of those, 102 will be master in public administration (mid-career) and 206 will be master in public policy.

The Graduate School of Design will confer 205 degrees.

The Divinity School will award 148 diplomas.

The School of Public Health will award 397 degrees.

The Graduate School of Education will confer 663 degrees.

The Extension School will be awarding 384 degrees.

Commencement exercises will be broadcast from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 1:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Cambridge Cable Channel 54 and Boston Cable Channel 12.