U2 lead singer Bono will be the Class of 2004's Commencement speaker, University officials announced yesterday.
Bono will also join four others in the May 17 ceremony as an honorary degree recipient. Other recipients are Elizabeth Blackburn, a cell and molecular biologist; Lee Friedlander, a photographer; Jaroslav Pelikan, a theologian; and jazz drummer Max Roach.
The recipients were each chosen by various committees of students, administrators, faculty and University trustees based on "the degree to which the candidate reflects the highest ideal of the University, which is to produce graduates who change the world through innovative acts of scholarship, scientific discovery, artistic creativity and/or societal leadership," according to the nomination form.
"Bono kind of hits the nail on the head" in meeting these criteria, according to Director of Trustee Affairs Molly Roth.
In a press release, University President Judith Rodin commended Bono for his global activism.
"With his tireless efforts and use of his celebrity to remind us of our moral duties as citizens of the globe, Bono has been a powerful force for change, galvanizing the action of presidents, countries and the general public," Rodin said.
Roth cited the rock singer's use of his fame for meaningful ends, taking on as his "second job ... to advocate for the powerless."
"We think that his accomplishments as an activist -- as an artist but also in particular as an activist -- are very compelling, and we hope that students would respond to that example," Roth said.
Bono is co-founder of Debt AIDS Trade Africa, a group dedicated to fighting AIDS and poverty in Africa by raising awareness in the United States and other nations.
James Drummond, executive director of DATA, works closely with Bono.
"We believe that if Americans knew the facts, they would do more," Drummond said. "We try to convince this generation of Americans ... to save a generation in Africa."
Drummond hinted at the message Bono might bring to Penn graduates this May.
"He's likely to ... call upon this generation of graduates to really take up this call to action," Drummond said. "And that means not just warm feelings ... but real political action."
Bono will add his honorary degree from Penn to his French Legion d'Honneur commission, as well as his 1999 MTV Free Your Mind Award.
So far, Cornell University is the only other Ivy League school to announce its Commencement speaker -- former United States President William Jefferson Clinton.
