DENVER – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the world’s top diplomat, and Michael B. Hancock, mayor of the city of Denver, will address graduate and undergraduate students, respectively, at commencement ceremonies for the culmination of the University of Denver’s 149th academic year.
Ban Ki-moon, who will receive an honorary doctorate of public service, will address graduate school students during commencement ceremonies on Friday, June 7th at 4:30pm. Ban, a strong advocate for sustainable development, has strived to mobilize world leaders and the global public around such pressing challenges as eradicating poverty and hunger, advancing global health, addressing climate change, strengthening peacekeeping and conflict prevention and empowering the world’s women and young people.
Ban received a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Seoul National University in 1970. In 1985, he earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. His long career in public service in his native Republic of Korea has included postings in New Delhi, Vienna, New York and Washington D.C. and culminated with his years as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Ban became the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations on January 1, 2007. In June 2011 he was unanimously re-elected by the General Assembly and will serve until December 31, 2016.
Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock will address undergraduates at the University of Denver’s undergraduate commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 8th at 9:30am. Mayor Hancock will also be the recipient of an honorary doctorate of public service.
Hancock became Denver’s 45th mayor in July 2011. A native of Fort Hood, Texas, he is the youngest of 10 children from an Army family that moved to Denver when he was less than a year old. A graduate of Denver’s Manual High School, he attended Hastings College in Nebraska where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1991. He received his master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado-Denver.
In 1995 he joined Metro Denver’s Urban League affiliate as program director and became its president in 1999, becoming the youngest president of an Urban League chapter in America. In 2003 he was elected to Denver City Council and served two terms as council president, from 2006 to 2008.
Both ceremonies will take place in Magness Arena, inside the Ritchie Center on campus.