Despite the sometimes heavy rain, members of the class of 2001 made sure that Mother Nature did not dampen their commencement celebration.
Penn officially marked the University's 245th commencement Monday morning at Franklin Field, where University President Judith Rodin formally conferred degrees to students from each of the 12 schools.
While students had no choice but to sit in the rain, the family members in the stands scampered for the limited covered seating available. Those determined to have a close view of the ceremony -- umbrella or not -- braved the rain to sit close to the graduates.
Addressing the students and audience this year was Arizona Senator John McCain, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination last year before conceding to then-Texas Governor George W. Bush.
McCain was introduced by Provost Robert Barchi, who called the Senator "a dedicated public servant, a proud patriot and a fiercely independent voice in Washington."
The assembled crowd went wild when McCain came to the podium, cheering for the senator as he proceeded to entertain the crowd with a self-deprecating address similar to the one given by President Bush at Yale University that same day.
The invitation to give the address "is a great honor for someone who graduated fifth from the bottom in the United States Naval Academy class of 1958," McCain said.
"To stand here in full academia regalia and address an audience of distinguished academics and their learned students has affirmed my long held faith that in America, anything is possible."
McCain, a former Navy pilot who served five years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, told the assembled crowd to make positive contributions to society as leaders, and not followers.
"I don't know you personally," McCain said. "I don't know what you will become, but I know what you could become, what you should become."
In recognition of McCain's contributions to public service, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Nobel Laureate Peter Doherty and Princeton Psychology professor Daniel Kahneman both received honorary Doctor of Science degrees.
Architects Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk both received honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degrees for pioneering the "New Urbanism" movement. Former Smith College President and incoming Brown University President Ruth Simmons received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
President Rodin officially greeted the assembled audience after the University Chaplain William Gipson gave the invocation.
In her speech, Rodin congratulated the Class of 2001 for their accomplishments and predicted their future success.
"As great as your accomplishments are, I'm certain they're merely a prelude for what lies ahead," Rodin said.
At the same time, she asked the graduates to improve the community and lives of others.
"Find a way to give your community and your country something back and open up your hearts always to your fellow human beings," Rodin said.
While most of the individual schools held their own ceremonies over the weekend, the commencement was a time for the entire graduating class to come together.
After speeches by the various speakers, the graduates officially marked the culmination of their Penn experience by being recognized by their respective deans and having Rodin confer degrees to the students.
Undaunted by the rain, students cheered loudly, backed by the echoing applause from the audience. After every school was recognized, graduates tossed their caps into the air, many marking the beginning of their professional lives.
