Wharton grads look forward

For an often staid and solemn rite of passage, the 114th annual graduation exercises for the undergraduate division of the Wharton School Sunday morning sure were noisy. Amid cheers and screams from the audience -- and disruptive rumblings from the nearby railroad and Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania helicopter pad -- approximately 500 seniors received their bachelor's degrees on the southeast end of Franklin Field. Wharton Dean Thomas Gerrity welcomed the graduates to the ranks of the school's 70,000-plus alumni worldwide, adding that the Class of 1998 was one of the "most talented" in memory. Clad in the orange and black gown from his days at Princeton University, Undergraduate Dean Richard Herring praised the student body for its activism and accomplishment. "You made a commitment to challenge yourself," he said. "You've worked harder than you've ever worked before." He also singled out a number of individual students for holding high positions in the ranks of student government, athletics and The Daily Pennsylvanian. Herring also reminded the graduates of the challenges ahead of them in the post-Cold war era. "Your generation is charged with integrating 2.5 billion people -- roughly half of the world -- into the global economy," he said. But Wharton senior Ashley Damron, speaking for her fellow graduates, said she felt confident in the endeavor. "All of us arrived here because of a vision, or at least an expectation about our lives," she said. "We've been frustrated, scared, almost given up sometimes. [But] now we've emerged." The ceremony was also an opportunity to recognize faculty and student achievement. Gerrity presented Operations and Information Management Professor Patrick Harker and Finance Professor Kenneth Kavajecz with the David Hauck Teaching Award. Hauck, a 1960 Wharton graduate, endowed the awards with a 1991 gift to the school. Individual graduates were recognized with more than 50 awards. The Dean's Award of Excellence was given to Meka Millstone -- who graduated with a 3.85 GPA -- while William Byers and Samantha Hodge-Williams each received a Dean's Award for Service.