2014 Commencement Honorees Announced

Before The New School’s 2014 graduates take the next steps into their futures, they will receive a bevy of inspiration and advice from Zadie Smith, Neil Blumenthal, Robert Wong and Abigail Disney, this year’s slated commencement honorees.*

The celebration of academic achievement, to be held on May 23 at Madison Square Garden, will be a time of reflection and for some an acceptance of the challenge and journey that awaits. The speakers were selected by students, faculty and staff based on their contribution to design, social science and society as a whole.

Zadie Smith

The London-born writer Zadie Smith will deliver the commencement address. As an English student at Cambridge, Smith began pitching her short stories to literary agents. Her first novel, “White Teeth,” published in 2000, has been translated into over 20 languages, and was included in TIME magazine’s 100 best English-Language novels from 1923 to 2005. “White Teeth” was met with praise, and won numerous literary prizes, including the Commonwealth Writers First Book Prize, and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize alongside Martin Amis.

Smith went on to write three other novels including “The Autograph Man,” “On Beauty” and most recently “NW,” which was published in 2012. Smith has held tenures at Columbia University’s School of Arts, as well as New York University, and will be teaching at The New School’s Writer’s Colony this summer. She resides in New York and London.

Robert Wong

His name may sound familiar to New Schooler’s as he was a Parsons Class of 1990 graduate. He graduated with a BFA in Communication Design, which he put to use at Google Creative Labs as its chief creative officer. He has worked with Canadian band Arcade Fire on an interactive short film titled, “The Wilderness Downtown,”using Google Maps to evoke emotion. He also worked on “Parisian Love” a popular ad that aired during the Superbowl. Prior to his current position as a creative at Google, he served as vice president of creative at Starbucks and executive creative director at ad agency Arnold Worldwide. Wong will receive this year’s honorary degree.

Neil Blumenthal

His name may ring a bell not only to the fashion-inclined but also to budding entrepreneurs, writers or feminists. Blumenthal is the co-founder of Warby Parker eyewear and was previously a director at VisionSpring – a company that provides eyeglasses for those without access and trains low-income women who want to become entrepreneurs. He is a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal’s The Accelerators forum for entrepreneurs, investors and venture capitalists, where he provides his opinion through essays on topics ranging from kicking an addiction to free promotional pens, over-communicating and finding the right office space.

Abigail Disney

While a fairytale ending would be ideal for any college graduate, honorary degree recipient Abigail Disney works diligently to create fairytale opportunities through her work as an activist and filmmaker. Her film “Pray the Devil Back to Hellm” which documents a group of Liberian woman challenging violent, rebel forces, won best documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2008. She is the executive producer of the mini-doc series “Women War and Peace” exploring the roles of women during wartime and “Family Affair,” a documentary about abuse within a family. Both films were bought and featured on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Abigail Disney effectively solidifies the goodwill attached to her famous surname through her two nonprofits, Peace is Loud and the Daphne Foundation. The latter provides grants to organizations benefiting women in the New York area, while Peace is Loud helps women in conflict-prone zones.

*The original title of this article, 2014 Commencement Speakers Revealed, has been altered to reflect that only Zadie Smith will be speaking at the commencement, while Robert Wong, Neil Blumenthal and Abigail Disney are honorees.