May 5, 2008

CONTACT:
Liz Babiarz
University Relations
(404) 413-1356

Andrew Young to speak at Georgia State University commencement

ATLANTA – Georgia State will come together to celebrate the accomplishments of 2,849 graduates during the spring commencement at 2 p.m. Saturday (May 10) in the Georgia Dome.

The guest speaker will be Andrew Young, former Atlanta mayor, U.S. congressman and U.N. Ambassador, who will offer career advice and inspirational words to Georgia State graduates.

“I think every graduating class faces a world full of challenges,” Young said, “but that’s what our university is for – not to give you answers, but to give you the confidence, the observation and research skills, the vision and the courage, to take on the challenges in whatever field you happen to find yourself.”

The spring ceremony is significant because it is the last one in which Carl Patton will participate as Georgia State president. Patton is retiring this summer after 16 years at the helm of the university.

Also at the commencement, John C. Portman, architect, developer, business entrepreneur and civic leader, will receive an honorary degree.

Both Portman and Young helped transform Atlanta into the city it is today. Portman developed Peachtree Center, the Marriott Marquis Hotel, the SunTrust Plaza and several other Atlanta landmarks.

Young is an ordained minister, international businessman, civil rights activist, published author and former public servant. He was elected to three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from the fifth congressional district of Georgia. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter named him the first African-American ambassador to the United Nations. He served two terms as mayor of Atlanta and was co-chairman of the Centennial Olympic Games in 1996.          

Young is currently the chairman of Atlanta-based Good Works International, a specialty consulting group that provides strategic services to corporations and governments operating in the global economy. Young also serves as a public affairs professor of policy studies at Georgia State’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies.

MEDIA NOTE: Media credentials are needed to enter the Georgia Dome for the ceremony. Doors of Lower Gate C and D will open at noon. Report to the field level and ask for DeAnna Hines, assistant vice president of media relations. Parking is available in the red, orange and blue lots.