Bloomberg

Michael R. Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, technology entrepreneur and philanthropist, will address the Class of 2012 as Senior Convocation speaker May 26 during Cornell's 144th Commencement Weekend. Convocation will take place at noon in Schoellkopf Stadium.

Harris Nord, the Class of 2012 Convocation Committee chair, said: "Mayor Bloomberg's commitment to New York City is one that we as Cornellians should hope to emulate in our own communities. He is not only a distinguished public official, but he is also a highly successful entrepreneur and a leading philanthropist. His words will certainly inspire many of our graduates to strive for meaningful public service and success after graduation."

First elected in 2001, two months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Bloomberg is the visionary behind the "Applied Sciences NYC" initiative, which seeks to increase New York City's capacity for applied sciences and dramatically transform the city's economy. In December 2011 Bloomberg announced that Cornell had won the competition to build a new technology campus in New York City. CornellNYC Tech -- Home of the Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute is scheduled to break ground in 2015 on Roosevelt Island.

As mayor, Bloomberg has cut crime by 35 percent, revitalized the waterfront, implemented ambitious public health strategies, including the successful ban on smoking in restaurants and bars, and expanded support for arts and culture. His education reforms have driven graduation rates up by 40 percent since 2005.

The mayor's economic policies have helped New York City avoid the level of job losses that many other cities experienced during the national recession. And since October 2009, New York has added twice as many private sector jobs as the next 10 largest U.S. cities combined.

Through Bloomberg Philanthropies, he has donated more than $2 billion to a variety of causes and organizations, particularly in the areas of the arts, education, the environment, government innovation and public health.

Senior Convocation is scheduled to last one hour; no tickets are required, and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Students' families will be provided with advance tickets for the alternate Barton Hall location, in the event of inclement weather.