COMMENCEMENT 1986 : University of Southern California

USC held its 103rd spring graduation ceremony Friday in Alumni Memorial Park.

Degrees: USC President James H. Zumberge conferred degrees on 6,426 students, including 3,056 undergraduate, 2,467 master’s, 295 doctoral and 608 professional candidates.

Speakers: Dr. David A. Hamburg, president of Carnegie Corp. of New York, said, “. . . The work of the future, especially at an advanced or professional level, is likely to require a great deal of flexibility; not just one set of skills acquired early and essentially good for life, but rather an evolving body of knowledge and new opportunities calling for greatly modified skills. Successful participation in a technically based and interdependent world economy will require that we have a more skillful and adaptable work force than ever before. Lifelong learning is no longer a desirable luxury; it is a vital economic necessity.” Also addressing the graduates was valedictorian Samuel James Wang, an electrical engineering major.

Honorary Degrees:

Dr. Hamburg, doctor of science, “an intellectual and inspirational force in the health sciences.”

Dr. Werner Arber, professor of microbiology, Biozentrum der Universitat Basel, Switzerland, doctor of science. Co-winner of the 1978 Nobel Prize in medicine and physiology, “he dug deeply into the uncharted regions of molecular genetics.”

Dr. Ivan A. Getting, electrical engineer and retired president, Aerospace Corp., doctor of science. “. . . He established a national science and engineering organization which supported the Air Force in the fields of ballistic missile and satellite systems.”

Dr. Albert O. Hirschman, professor of social science, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, N.J., doctor of science. “Every one of his books breaks new ground in terms of subject area and methodology, developing new terminology for the social sciences and suggesting countless applications for further research.”

Susumu Nikaido, vice president of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, doctor of laws. His “political prowess has helped advance numerous programs for Japan’s postwar political and economic development, and he has been instrumental in promoting friendship between Japan and the United States.”