Archivist David S. Ferriero To Be Honored at Duke’s Commencement May 12
Press Release · Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Washington, DC…Duke University will award an honorary degree to Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero at its 2013 Commencement ceremony. The event begins at 10 a.m. May 12, at Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium, and is open to the public.

"It's Duke's great honor to celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of these individuals," Duke President Richard H. Brodhead said. "As our graduates imagine their future paths, they will be inspired by the ways these men and women have contributed to our world."

“Having marched in eight Duke Commencement ceremonies, I never expected to be at the head of the procession! I am truly honored and humbled by this act of the Board of Trustees,” said the Archivist.

The Archivist is one of seven honorees. The others are:  Melinda Gates, philanthropist and businesswoman, who will deliver the Commencement address; Marguerite "Maggy" Barankitse, human rights activist; Dr. Max Cooper, immune system scientist at the Georgia Research Alliance; Henry Louis Gates Jr., Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University; William H. (Bill) Gross, founder, managing director and co-CIO of Pacific Investment Management Co., and Judith Jamison, choreographer and former Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancer and director.

Archivist David S. Ferriero became the 10th Archivist of the United States in 2009. A former director of New York Public Libraries, he is the first librarian to lead the National Archives. From 1996 to 2004, Ferriero was Duke University’s librarian and vice provost for library affairs. In that role, he helped raise more than $50 million to expand and renovate the campus library, developed initiatives for instructional technology and worked to increase public access to libraries and museums throughout North Carolina. As director of New York Public Libraries from 2004-09, Ferriero helped lead the integration of four research libraries and 87 branch libraries,creating the largest public library system in the United States.

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For press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

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