For immediate release: Jan. 14, 2011
Media contact: Martin Mbugua, (609) 258-5733, mmbugua@princeton.edu
Bloomberg selected as Princeton's Baccalaureate speaker
PRINCETON, N.J. -- Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City and a renowned
businessman and philanthropist, has been selected as the speaker for Princeton University's 2011
Baccalaureate ceremony.
Baccalaureate, an end-of-year interfaith service that is one of Princeton's oldest traditions, is
scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, May 29, in the University Chapel.
Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman selects the Baccalaureate speaker after consultation
with senior class leaders. Officers of the class of 2011 recommended Bloomberg based on his
prominence in public service, business and philanthropy.
"Mayor Bloomberg's life and career path certainly take after the tradition of Princeton’s
unofficial motto: 'In the Nation's Service and in the Service of All Nations,'" said Alex Rosen,
president of the senior class. "His range of experiences and expertise in multiple fields fits well
with the broad interests of the members of our class. Additionally, Bloomberg himself has a
strong connection to the University as the father of a Princeton graduate. For these reasons, I am
thankful that our class will have the opportunity to learn from Mayor Bloomberg as we prepare
to embark on our lives after Princeton."
One of the nation's most foremost independent political leaders, Bloomberg was elected the
108th mayor of New York City in 2001, 20 years after founding Bloomberg LP, which he built
into one of the world's biggest financial information services and media companies. He is now
serving his third term as mayor of America's largest city, having been re-elected in 2005 and
2009.
After overseeing information systems at the investment bank Salomon Brothers, Bloomberg
founded his own company with a vision of using emerging technology to bring transparency and
efficiency to Wall Street's trading firms. New York City-based Bloomberg LP now has 300,000
subscribers to its financial news and information service. The company's media properties span
television, radio, digital and print, making Bloomberg one of the world's largest news
organizations with more than 2,300 news and multimedia professionals at 146 bureaus in 72
countries.
While building his company, Bloomberg devoted increasing attention to issues such as
education, public health, environmental sustainability and New York City civic affairs. He has
sat on the boards of several charitable, cultural and educational institutions, including his
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undergraduate alma mater, Johns Hopkins University, which now houses the Bloomberg School
of Public Health. In 2009, the Chronicle of Philanthropy ranked him fourth on its list of the 50
most generous people in America.
At Princeton, a gift from Bloomberg's family funded part of Emma Bloomberg Hall, a dormitory
within Butler College, one of the University's six residential colleges. Emma Bloomberg, the
mayor's daughter, is a 2001 Princeton graduate.
Princeton's Baccalaureate service focuses on members of the senior class. It includes prayers and
readings from various religious and philosophical traditions. The earliest recorded Baccalaureate
address -- titled "Religion and the Public Spirit" -- was delivered by University President Samuel
Davies in 1760 to the 11 members of the graduating class. Since 1972, the address has been
given by a speaker chosen by the president after discussion with class leaders.
Seating in the chapel is limited to members of the senior class and the faculty procession. Seniors
receive two tickets for family and guests who may view the ceremony via simulcast.
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