Other recipients of this year's honorary degrees include Willie Mays, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and Judith Rodin, first female president of an Ivy League university - the University of Pennsylvania - and is now the president of the Rockefeller Foundation.
According to College President James Wright, who selects the final list of degree recipients and chooses one to deliver the graduation speech, Paulson was selected not only because of his work in business but also because of his efforts in environmental conservation.
"I think Paulson will talk about service and about making a difference in the world, and that's something that we talk about a lot here," Wright said. "Our graduating students are already models for that and are an exceptional class. Secretary Paulson will represent that well."
While at Dartmouth, Paulson majored in English and was an All-Ivy, All-East and honorable mention All-American member of the football team. He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Green Key Society and Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
The speaker selection process began on Sept. 22, when the Council on Honorary Degrees, a faculty board composed of six members from the College of Arts and Sciences, the Tuck School of Business and the Thayer School of Engineering, sent letters to faculty, staff and members of the class of 2007 soliciting nominations for honorary degree recipients. Senior Class President Jacob Crumbine '07 participated in the deliberations.
Council members compiled a list of approved names from the recommendations and forwarded their decision to Wright and the Board of Trustees, who chose degree recipients, selected one candidate to be the Commencement speaker and extended invitations to all of the nominees.
Paulson, who was sworn into office as Secretary of the Treasury in July 2006, received his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1970 and subsequently worked as the staff assistant to the secretary of defense at the Pentagon. Paulson was also a member of the White House Domestic Council and served as the staff assistant to President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1973.
Paulson left Washington, D.C. to begin his 32-year career at Goldman Sachs in 1974. He became a partner of the firm in 1982 and served as a managing partner of the Chicago office, co-head of the investment banking division and co-senior partner. In 1999, Paulson was named chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, a position that he retained until his Senate confirmation in June 2006.
Paulson is also a member of the Nature Conservancy and has worked on conservation efforts in China and with Goldman Sachs to protect a large area of land in Patagonia and South America, Wright said.
Recent Commencement speakers have included Elie Weisel and Tom Brokaw. Seniors interviewed had mixed feelings about Paulson's selection.
"I have to say, I'm a little bit disappointed in the choice because I really have no idea who he is at all," Amy Rolfvondenbaumen '07 said. "Hopefully since he's a Dartmouth alum, his speech will be good."
Adam Shpeen '07, on the other hand, said he approved the choice and was excited to hear Paulson speak.
"I think it's cool that a sitting cabinet secretary would speak at Commencement, especially since he is a Dartmouth graduate," Adam Shpeen '07 said.
The College will also present the first Dartmouth Prize for Exceptional Teaching at the ceremony. The award will go to four exceptional K-12 teachers from across the United States who were nominated by members of the graduating class.
