Caltech Commencement Will Feature Aerospace Leader Norman R. Augustine as Keynote

Caltech announced on Wednesday its 2021 commencement keynote speaker will be Norman R. Augustine, a longtime leader in the aerospace industry. The commencement ceremony is scheduled for Friday, June 11.

Augustine has served as assistant secretary of the Army and undersecretary of the Army, been awarded the Department of Defense Civilian Distinguished Service Medal five times, is a former president of the American Red Cross, and in the civilian world led Martin Marietta Corp. through its merger with the Lockheed Corp. to form the aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin.

This year’s commencement stirred controversy as some Caltech students have advocated for an in-person event.

More than 500 Caltech students signed a petition calling for a more-traditional in-person graduation and said they weren’t satisfied with a compromise offered by the school to have a limited gathering of 300 students on-campus to view the virtual commencement ceremony.

Wednesday’s announcement confirmed Caltech plans to proceed with the limited in-person gathering.

The Institute said it will host an in-person gathering on June 11 that will allow bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree candidates to celebrate together on campus in the company of their peers and to watch the virtual commencement ceremony outdoors. In accordance with public health requirements, Caltech said, this event will be open only to pre-registered, fully vaccinated graduating students. Attendees will have access to staged photo areas for individual and group pictures. 

In a letter to the community, Rosenbaum, Provost David A. Tirrell, and Vice President for Student Affairs Kevin M. Gilmartin explained that the in-person celebration was created as the result of input from the Caltech community.

“We have heard very clearly from our student leaders and representatives that what is most valued this June is the opportunity for our graduating students to return to campus and to safely gather with one another to celebrate their achievements,” they wrote.

The degree conferral and graduation ceremony will be virtual and include remarks from Caltech president Thomas F. Rosenbaum and Board of Trustees chair David Lee, a keynote address, remarks from notable alumni, and the conferral of undergraduate and graduate degrees. Each student will be recognized individually as their name is read alongside the presentation of a personalized slide.

Following Augustine’s keynote address, five notable Caltech alumni will each offer remarks on the theme of “resilience”:

• Maryam Ali (BS ’05) medical writer, Medtronic Neurovascular
• Christopher Blaszczak-Boxe (MS ’01, ’02, PhD ’05), assistant professor, Medgar Evers College, CUNY
• Morgan L. Cable (PhD ’10), Astrobiology and Ocean Worlds Group supervisor, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Tara Gomez-Hampton (PhD ’11), associate director of medical affairs, Biosense Webster, Inc.
• Mason Smith (BS ’09), software developer, TGS Management Company

Friends and family of Caltech graduates are encouraged to organize their own watch parties to view the June 11 broadcast of the virtual commencement ceremony and are invited to join President Rosenbaum and Katherine T. Faber, Simon Ramo Professor of Materials Science, for a virtual toast to celebrate the new graduates and their families immediately following the commencement ceremony, from 11:30 a.m. to noon. All of the graduates who are on campus for the commencement screening event and celebration will join the virtual champagne toast to connect with their classmates across the globe.

More details can be found on commencement.caltech.edu.