Dr. Samuel Thier, president and CEO of Massachusetts General Hospital and CEO of Partners HealthCare System, Inc. in Boston, will be the keynote speaker at this morning's convocation exercises.
In addition to welcoming the Class of 2000, Thier's convocation address will kick off Dartmouth Medical School's year-long bicentennial celebration.
"Dr. Thier has earned the profound respect of all segments of medicine," said Dr. Andrew Wallace, dean of Dartmouth Medical School, in a statement released by DMS. "With a knowledge of the past and a vision for the future, Sam Thier is a perfect selection to launch the celebration of the Medical School's 200th birthday."
Thier's speech, titled "Medicine in the 21st Century: Profession or Industry?" will address the risks and opportunities for medical research in an era of change.
"We were eager to have a speaker for medicine ... and what we were able to find in Dr. Thier is a person with a strong medical background who has also been the president of a university," College President James Freedman previously told the Dartmouth. "I think he's a wonderful choice for a speaker and I know that he'll speak to the values of liberal education."
Freedman, who was unavailable for comment yesterday, will also address the student body at the ceremony, which begins at 11 a.m. in Leede Arena.
Student Assembly President Jon Heavey '97 said he will give a speech, titled "Student Life at Dartmouth: A Balancing Act," filled with personal anecdotes about the Dartmouth experience.
"My speech will talk about how Dartmouth is a really great place with all kinds of experiences, but will also recognize the times that it can kick your butt," Heavey said. "I'll talk about how during those times you wonder why everyone else has it more together than you do, and how those times, when your friends are there to support you, are what really make Dartmouth great."
Thier attended Cornell University and received his medical degree from the State University of New York at Syracuse in 1960, and completed his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital.
He served as a faculty member at Harvard University and later at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Thier has served as a member of the Dartmouth Medical School Board of Overseers, as chair of the department of internal medicine at Yale University, as president of the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences, and as president of Brandeis University.
The convocation speaker is chosen by the President in conjunction with the Board of Trustees, based upon a recommendation made by the Council on Honorary Degrees.
This year, the DMS Bicentennial Steering Committee -- a group that is helping coordinate and plan events to commemorate DMS's 200th birthday -- also offered its input in the selection process.
