On Sunday, May 25, at 10:30 a.m., in Margaret Bundy Scott Field House, designer and artist Bruce Mau, the co-founder and CEO of Massive Change Network (MCN), will give the Commencement address and receive an honorary degree from Hamilton College. Furthermore, Oneida Nation representative and Turning Stone Enterprises CEO Ray Halbritter will give the Baccalaureate address and receive another honorary degree from Hamilton College on Saturday, May 24, at 3 p.m., in the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House. 568 Hamilton College students are expected to receive Bachelor’s degrees during this year’s Commencement ceremony.
As the CEO of the Chicago based design firm (MCN), Bruce Mau works to improve sustainability efforts with a variety of companies, governments and architects. He is a professor and strategic curricular advisor at The Design School of Arizona State University, University of New South Wales Arts, Pratt Institute and the McEwen School of Architecture at Laurentian University. Mau has published various books on architecture and design, including S,M,L,XL alongside Rem Koolhaas, MC24 and THE NEXUS: Augmented Thinking for a Complex World—The New Convergence of Art, Technology, and Science with co-author Julio M. Ottino. Working alongside MCN co-founder Aiyemobisi “Bisi” Williams, Mau created the MASSIVE ACTION initiative to educate people about the impact of design on the world around them.
As an entrepreneur and member of the Oneida Nation, Ray Halbritter has worked to build up the nation’s gaming and entertainment facilities and invest them back into the community. These facilities include Turning Stone Resort Casino, YBR Casino and Sports Book, Point Place Casino, The Lake House at Sylvan Beach, The Cove at Sylvan Beach and the Maple Leaf Market and SāvOn chain of convenience stores, among others. Earnings from these businesses are spent on health care, schools and services for Oneida members as well as investments in institutions preserving Oneida heritage, including a Harvard professorship in American Indian law, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian and the Museum of the American Revolution.
“I’m especially pleased Mr. Halbritter has agreed to speak, because he is one of our country’s great entrepreneurs and is committed to the long-standing partnership between the College and the Oneida Indian Nation,” Tepper said on the topic of this year’s commencement speakers. “Bruce Mau will be fantastic as our Commencement speaker. As one of the most creative humans I know, he will share how to harness the power of design and use it for massive-scale change. Our graduates and their families will be inspired by both individuals.”
