“As one who has traveled some distance on that road, I can tell you that what you’ve learned here is just the beginning of what you’ll need for success.”
Mary Barra | Saul Bromberger
“You are one of the most accomplished and diverse classes in school history,” General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra (MBA ’90) told the Class of 2016.
“Forty-two percent of your class are women, and 23 percent are U.S. minorities, both all-time highs,” said Barra, the commencement alumni speaker. “International students represent 44 percent, also a new high. In fact, members of your class come from a record 62 different countries.”
The June 11 diploma ceremony celebrated 531 individuals awarded degrees this year:
- 413 MBAs
- 89 Masters of Science (MSx)
- 21 PhDs
- 8 Masters of Arts in Business Research
Of those earning MBAs, 38 earned a joint degree:
- 19 in education
- 5 in law
- 12 in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources
- 1 in public policy
- 1 in computer science
Public Management Program certificates were awarded to 108 MBA and 17 MSx students.
Classmates chose Jason Alexander Scott as this year’s Ernest C. Arbuckle Award winner in recognition of his contributions to the school and society through active participation, initiative, leadership, and personal integrity.
Graduating at the top of his class, Michael Chengrui Ding was named the Henry Ford II Scholar for academic achievement. Soren Benedikt Sudhof received the Alexander A. Robichek Student Achievement Award in Finance, bestowed to an MBA student by finance faculty for recognition of academic achievement in the field.
Among the 41 Arjay Miller Scholars deemed the academically highest ten percent of the graduating MBA class, an all-time high of 41 percent were women.
In his remarks, Dean Garth Saloner said Stanford GSB’s mission is different from that of most business schools. “Our focus is on transformation,” said the Philip H. Knight Professor and Dean. “We are privileged to be among the most selective business schools in the world.
“In making our selections we try to pick the highest potential young men and women and to provide them with an education that will enable them to go on to live lives of meaning and impact.”
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