Date: May 11, 2012

Hofstra University Announces 2012 Spring Commencement Activities and Speakers Sunday, May 20

11 a.m. Undergraduate Ceremony
Leslie Moonves, president and chief executive officer of CBS Corporation

3:30 p.m. Graduate Ceremony
Dr. Douglas Brinkley, historian, author and professor

7:30 p.m. Maurice A. Deane School of Law Ceremony
Jonathan Lippman, Chief Judge, New York State Court of Appeals

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY … Hofstra University has announced the honorees for the spring commencement activities on May 20, 2012. Typically, 2,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students celebrate the completion of their studies during three separate graduation exercises that day.

The commencement ceremonies will be broadcast live on Hofstra’s Web site at www.hofstra.edu/commencement.

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Undergraduate Ceremony

11 a.m. James M. Shuart Stadium, South Campus

Honoree: Leslie Moonves

Leslie Moonves is president and chief executive officer of CBS Corporation, one of the world’s largest media enterprises. In this role, he oversees all operations of the company, including the CBS Television Network and its News, Sports and Entertainment groups, CBS Television Stations, CBS Television Studios, CBS Television Distribution, premium cable Showtime Networks, CBS Radio, publisher Simon & Schuster, CBS Interactive and its many online brands, CBS Films, EcoMedia and The CW Television Network.

Mr. Moonves joined CBS Corporation in 1995 as president of entertainment after serving as president and CEO of Warner Bros. Television, where his team developed many acclaimed TV shows such as Friends and ER. Once at CBS Corporation, Mr. Moonves and his team took the network from last to first place in the ratings and launched a variety of hit shows, including Everybody Loves Raymond, Survivor, the CSI franchise, and, most recently, How I Met Your Mother, Two Broke Girls, The Big Bang Theory, and NCIS, the No. 1 show in television.

Graduate Ceremony

3:30 p.m., David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex, North Campus

Honoree: Dr. Douglas Brinkley

Douglas G. Brinkley is professor of history at Rice University. He also serves as contributing editor for Vanity Fair, Los Angeles Times Book Review, and American Heritage magazine. Prior to his tenure at Rice University, Dr. Brinkley held teaching positions at Hofstra University, University of New Orleans, Princeton University, the U.S. Naval Academy, and Tulane University.

Seven of Dr. Brinkley’s books have been included in The New York Times “Notable Books of the Year” lists, including The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America (2009), which won the 2009 National Outdoor Book Award; The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which was also the recipient of the 2006 Robert F. Kennedy Award(2006); Wheels for the World: Henry Ford, His Company and a Century of Progress (2003); The Unfinished Presidency: Jimmy Carter’s Journey Beyond the White House (1998); Driven Patriot: The Life and Times of James Forrestal (with Townsend Hoopes, 1993);and Dean Acheson: The Cold War Years, 1953-71 (1992). Additionally, he has edited Jack Kerouac’s diaries, Hunter S. Thompson’s letters and Theodore Dreiser’s travelogue.

Five of Douglas Brinkley’s most recent publications have become New York Times best-sellers. In January 2011 The Quiet World: Saving Alaska’s Wilderness Kingdom, 1879 to 1960 – the second in his series on U.S. conservation history – was published. Cronkite, the definitive biography of the CBS News anchorman, will be published by HarperCollins this month.

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Maurice A. Deane School of Law

7:30 p.m., David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex, North Campus

Honoree: Jonathan Lippman, Chief Judge, New York State Court of Appeals

The Honorable Jonathan Lippman was appointed to serve as chief judge of the state of New York and chief judge of the Court of Appeals in February 2009 by Governor David A. Paterson. He presides over New York’s highest court while heading a statewide court system with a more than $2 billion budget, 3,600 state and locally paid judges, and more than 15,000 non-judicial employees in more than 350 locations around the state.

During his tenure on the Court of Appeals, Chief Judge Lippman has authored major decisions addressing constitutional, statutory and common law issues shaping the law of New York, the contours of state government and the lives of all New Yorkers. He has championed equal access to justice issues and taken an active leadership role in obtaining state funding for civil legal services for the poor and ensuring an adequate level of indigent criminal defense services. In response to the foreclosure crisis, Chief Judge Lippman instituted new filing requirements and special calendars to ensure that foreclosure cases are handled efficiently and fairly. He spearheaded legislative and practice reforms to address the systematic causes of wrongful convictions, and has championed juvenile justice reforms to raise the age of criminal responsibility in New York. Most recently, Chief Judge Lippman made New York the first state in the country to require 50 hours of law-related, uncompensated pro bono work prior to bar admission.

Chief Judge Lippman’s career in the court system spans four decades, beginning as an entry-level court attorney and including service as a law clerk in Supreme Court and Surrogate’s Court and as deputy chief administrative judge. He

lectures frequently in New York and around the country, has published numerous articles and essays, and has received many awards and honors from the legal community.

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Ticketing for Spring 2012 Commencement:

Undergraduate Ceremony: Unless there is severe weather (torrential rains, high winds and lightning), the Undergraduate Ceremony will be held outdoors in the James M, Shuart Stadium, even if it is raining. If rain showers do occur, certain aspects of the program will be shortened. If severe weather is experienced, the start of the ceremony may be delayed for a short period to allow weather to pass , or the ceremony will be relocated to the David S. Mack Sports Complex. When your student (Undergraduate Only) picks up his or her cap and gown, they will be issued 4 rain tickets 2 tickets will allow guests to go to the Sports Complex and 2 tickets will be at simulcasts throughout the campus. Details about any changes in the ceremony will be posted on the Hofstra University website. Please advise your family and friends to be prepared for any possible weather conditions. If there is a question regarding the weather, please call (516) 463-7669.

Graduate and Law Ceremonies: These ceremonies will be held in the David S. Mack Sports Complex. There are no tickets needed.

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Directions to James M. Shuart Stadium: Meadowbrook Parkway to Exit M4 - Route 24 West (Hempstead Turnpike). Head west on Hempstead Turnpike to Uniondale Avenue. Make a left, proceed to the Hofstra entrance, and turn right. The second building on your right side is James M. Shuart Stadium.

Directions to the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex : Meadowbrook Parkway to Exit M4 - Route 24 West (Hempstead Turnpike). Stay on 24W for about one mile. Pass Nassau Coliseum and travel under the first over head walk way. Once you pass the first over head walk way you will make your first right turn onto campus at the traffic light. Go to your second stop sign and make a right turn. The Mack Sports Complex will be a ¼ of a mile on your right hand side.

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For additional information on commencement activities, such as eligibility, tickets, robing and diplomas, please visit hofstra.edu/commencement or call the Commencement office at (516) 463-4346. In the event of inclement weather please call the weather hotline (516) 463-SNOW regarding the status of the ceremony.

For information on media coverage, please call the office of University Relations at (516) 463-6818.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution of higher education where more than 12,000 full and part-time students choose from undergraduate and graduate offerings in liberal arts and sciences, business, engineering, communication, education, health and human services, honors studies, a School of Law and the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.

Related Link: Hofstra Commencement Program