Events

Class Day 2017: Awards Ceremony and Address

Class Day 2016

The Harvard Graduate School of Design’s 2017 Class Day activities will be held on Wednesday, May 24, 2017. Class Day activities at the GSD include class photos and ceremony rehearsal for graduates, the Awards Ceremony and Class Day Address, and a reception for graduates and their guests.

The Class Day Awards Ceremony and Address will take place from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 24, in the Gund Hall Backyard.

Schedule Overview

  • Morning: Class photos and ceremony rehearsal
  • Mid-afternoon: GSD Awards Ceremony and Class Day Address
  • Early evening: Reception for graduates and their guests

Please visit the GSD’s Commencement page for more information about Commencement week activities. You may also wish to view the university-wide Commencement site.

Katherine Farley
Katherine Farley (MArch ’76)

The GSD has named Katherine Farley (MArch ’76) its 2017 Class Day speaker. Farley recently retired as Senior Managing Director of Tishman Speyer, responsible for their Brazil and China businesses and Global Corporate Marketing, after a 32-year career at the company. She currently serves as Chairman of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. She has been involved at Lincoln Center since 1999, having served on the New York Philharmonic Orchestra Board from 1999 to 2005 and on the Lincoln Center Theater Board from 2002 to 2005. She was Chairman of the Lincoln Center Redevelopment Project from 2006 to 2010, a $1.2-billion comprehensive renovation of the campus.

Farley is a Co-Chair of the International Rescue Committee, a nonprofit organization that focuses on emergency relief and resettlement of refugees, after having served on their Board of Trustees from 1998 to 2009 and their Board of Overseers from 2009 to 2015. She also serves as a Trustee of The Rockefeller University and The Andrew J. Mellon Foundation. She served on the Board of Trustees of Brown University from 2004 to 2010, the Board of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 2001 to 2010, and the Board of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation from 2012 to 2016. She also served as a Member of The Nature Conservancy’s Latin America Conservation Council from 2011 to 2014.

Farley was Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Brearley School in New York City from 1999 to 2007 and is Chairman Emerita of Women In Need. She received her BA from Brown University and a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the GSD.

 

Harvard University welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the Public Programs Office at (617) 496-2414 or [email protected] in advance of your participation or visit. Requests for American Sign Language interpreters and/or CART providers should be made at least two weeks in advance. Please note that the University will make every effort to secure services, but that services are subject to availability.

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