Providence Campus

At the commencement ceremony for The Alan Shawn Feinstein Graduate School at Johnson & Wales, Richard C. Helfer, founding chairman and chief executive officer of Raffles International and president and chief executive of Raffles Holdings Ltd., Singapore, delivered the commencement address and received an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree in Hospitality Management. 

He told the audience that the world has become infinitely more complicated. �Today is a day of uncertainty, trepidation. The challenges you face may be more daunting as we now live in a global village. The entire world is open to you.� He told students that their learning is just beginning, and that they have begun a commencement of lifelong learning. �Take the tools of your education, continue to learn, and have the courage to create.�

Frank Supovitz, group vice president of events & entertainment for the National Hockey League, New York, received an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree in Sports, Entertainment, and Event Management.

At the Providence Campus undergraduate ceremony for students of the College of Business, The Hospitality College, and the School of Technology, William J. Hybl, chairman and chief executive officer of the El Pomar Foundation, based in Colorado Springs, Colo., gave the commencement address and received an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree.

Hybl, who is president emeritus of the United States Olympic Committee, told students, �As you go forward, your education doesn�t stop. Your obligation doesn�t stop. Honor the country, honor dissent, and honor others� opinions. Your fellow man and woman deserve to be heard. You deserve to be heard.�

Howard G. Sutton, chief executive officer, The Providence Journal Company, Providence, R.I., also received an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree at the ceremony.

Graham Kerr, perhaps best known as television�s �Galloping Gourmet,� and currently president of Kerr Corporation, Camano Island, Wash., gave the commencement speech to the College of Culinary Arts at the Providence Campus and received an honorary Doctor of Culinary Nutrition degree.

In addition to Kerr, Edmund D. �Ted� Fuller, president of Rhode Island-based restaurant group, Gregg�s Restaurants and president of Restaurant Data Concepts, Inc., producer of POSitouch, a computerized point of sale system, received an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree in Food Service Management 

Norfolk Campus

Michelle Bernstein, a 1994 graduate of Johnson & Wales University, and the award-winning chef of Azul at Mandarin Oriental Miami, Miami, Fla. delivered the commencement address at the Norfolk Campus ceremony and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Culinary Arts degree.

Franz Nawratil, chancellor of the International University in Geneva, Administration, received an honorary Doctor of Business degree.

Charleston Campus

Richard D. Elliott, president and owner, Maverick Southern Kitchens, Inc., Charleston, S.C., delivered the commencement address and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree in Food Service Management. An active member of the Charleston community, Elliott urged his audience to �find a community need or activity that suits you, and do it.� He said, �We in the hospitality industry have a lot to bring to the table of community affairs. Our customer satisfaction training helps us to be more tolerant and accommodating of the needs and opinions of others, we are more team-orientated, we know we must respond to every situation as it arises, and we can�t say: it�s not my job to fix it.�

In addition, James Martin �Marty� Wall, general manager, Woodlands Resort & Inn, Summerville, S.C., was awarded a Doctor of Business Administration degree in Hospitality Management.

Florida Campus

William S. Norman, president and chief executive officer, Travel Industry Association of America, Washington, D.C., gave the commencement address to the University�s Florida Campus, and received an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree in Travel/Tourism.

José �Tito� Argamasilla Bacardi, director, Bacardi Heritage Foundation, S.A., and consultant, Bacardi U.S.A., Miami, Fla., received an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree.

Norman Love, former corporate executive pastry chef for The Ritz-Carlton Company, and now owner of Ganache Chocolates of Fort Myers, Fla., received an honorary Doctor of Culinary Arts degree.

Denver Campus

At the Denver Campus, Chris Ashcroft, executive vice president, human resources, Compass Group North American Division, Charlotte, N.C., delivered the commencement address and received an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree.

An honorary Doctor of Culinary Arts degree was presented to Thomas Keller, chef and owner of The French Laundry and owner of Bouchon, both located in Napa Valley, Calif.

Graduates

Johnson & Wales in Providence awarded a total of 423 graduate degrees and 4,648 undergraduate degrees. At its Norfolk Campus, 293 undergraduate degrees were awarded; Charleston Campus, 648 undergraduate degrees; Florida Campus, 908 undergraduate degrees, and at its Denver Campus, 569 undergraduate degrees. University wide, more than 1,700 degrees were awarded by The Hospitality College; 2,500 degrees by the College of Culinary Arts, and more than 2,500 by The College of Business.

Johnson & Wales - America�s Career University® - was founded in 1914. It is a private, non-profit, accredited institution offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business, food service, hospitality and technology. With an enrollment of more than 15,000 students, Johnson & Wales is based in Providence, R.I., and maintains campuses in Charleston, S.C., Norfolk, Va., North Miami, Fla., Denver, Colo., and Göteburg, Sweden, with plans to open a new campus in Charlotte, N.C. in 2004.