After taking countless Economics exams and applying to top-rate businesses and companies, the undergraduate members of the Wharton School Class of 1999 finally had an occasion for celebration last weekend, when about 500 seniors received their bachelor's degrees from the business school. Wharton Dean Thomas Gerrity joined Undergraduate vice Dean Richard Herring and graduating Wharton senior Emily Bogdanoff in addressing the graduates during the 115th Wharton graduation ceremony -- which took place on Franklin Field before a crowd of around 2,000 enthusiastic family members and friends. Gerrity -- who arrived at Penn in 1990 and will resign from his position in July -- told the graduates that they should be both pleased with their accomplishments and excited for the future. He praised them for having "excelled" in the "most demanding" undergraduate business school in the world and encouraged them to pursue their goals. "There are no limits to your potential. We cannot now imagine what you will achieve, but we know it will be great," Gerrity told the graduates, eliciting cheers and applause from the audience. Herring echoed Gerrity's positive sentiments and assured the students that after having "led the University in all dimensions" and "gained a global perspective," they are now ready for the future. "You've worked harder than you've ever worked before and you've made friends for a lifetime," Herring said. Bogdanoff, who was also a recipient of the prestigious Herbert S. Steuer Memorial Fund, advised her classmates to "find what you love to do and do it" and to "enjoy your family and friends before they're gone." The ceremony's joyous tone was set during the procession when the audience erupted with cheers as the seniors strode to their chairs. Many parents, some furiously waving objects in order to distinguish themselves, shouted to their children, while the graduates, some speaking on cellular phones during the procession, waved and smiled at their relatives. And later, as the Wharton administrators handed out the diplomas, many students received thunderous ovations from their relatives and friends. Gerrity also presented Marketing Professor Barbara Kahn and Operations and Information Management Professor Lorin Hitt with the David Hauck Teaching Award, named in honor of the 1960 Wharton graduate who endowed the awards with a 1991 gift to the school.
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