Former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta Delivers Commencement Address

The Monterey Institute of International Studies honored its spring graduating class Saturday, May 12, 2007 with consecutive commencement speeches by Sylvia and Leon E. Panetta. The former White House Chief of Staff and his wife joined former Mayor Dan Albert and the Honorable Judge Juan Guzmán Tapia in receiving honorary doctoral degrees from the Institute during the ceremony. Graduates Silvie Peric and Therese Musumhi delivered a joint student address.

An audience of nearly 1,800 guests watched as 286 graduates, representing 50 homelands, received their master's degrees in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Teaching Foreign Language, International Policy Studies, International Environmental Policy, International Trade Policy, Public Administration, Translation, Translation and Interpretation, Translation & Localization Management, Conference Interpretation, and Business Administration.

Undergraduate students completing all degree requirements with a record of high academic achievement were awarded traditional Latin honors: Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude and Summa Cum Laude. Master's degree recipients with a cumulative GPA of 4.00 graduated with Distinction.