11/21/2000
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Three individuals who have had an impact on society through innovations in the written and spoken word and philanthropic endeavors will address Michigan State University graduates at fall commencement ceremonies in December.
Commencement speakers Raymond Kurzweil, a leader in artificial intelligence technology; Alejandro Junco de la Vega, a newspaper publisher from Mexico and advocate for freedom of the press; and Jeffrey N. Cole, a retired Detroit area industrialist, will each receive an honorary degree from MSU.
Kurzweil, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Kurzweil Technologies, Inc., Wellesley Hills, Mass., will be the speaker for the advanced degree ceremony set for 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center. He will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters from MSU.
He is the developer of the world's first print-to-speech reading machine for the visually impaired. He has founded several companies in optical character recognition, music synthesis, speech recognition and reading technology. President Clinton honored him in 1999 with the National Medal of Technology, the nation's highest honor in technology.
Junco de la Vega, a fourth-generation newspaper publisher from Monterrey, Mexico, will speak to the undergraduate candidates for degrees at ceremonies set for 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, also at the Breslin Center. He will receive an honorary doctor of humanities from MSU.
As publisher of El Norte, El Sol, and Reforma, he is known for his leadership and introduction of professional journalism techniques and ethics. He worked to provide in-house training for young journalists and to raise the quality of journalism in Mexico. He was among panel members who spoke at MSU last year on the topic of human rights and freedom of the press in Latin America.
The student speaker at this ceremony is Eric Stoddard, a senior from Rochester majoring in political theory and constitutional democracy in the James Madison College. He is the son of Ken and Shirley Stoddard.
Students in the colleges of Arts and Letters, Communications Arts and Sciences, Education, James Madison, Natural Science and Social Science will attend the ceremony.
Cole will be the speaker at the 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9, ceremony at the Breslin Center. He will receive an honorary doctor of laws from MSU. He established the Jeffrey N. Cole Foundation for the Support of the Honors College at MSU. The foundation's initial projects include renovation of Eustace-Cole Hall and funding for merit scholarships for students invited to attend the Honors College and for international study scholarships. He serves as initial chairperson of the Honors College Director's Council.
Benjamin Kronk of Dearborn, son of Andrew and Ann Kronk, will be the student speaker at the afternoon ceremony. He is a senior majoring in marketing in the Eli Broad College of Business.
Students attending this ceremony will be from the colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources, The Eli Broad College of Business, Engineering and Human Ecology.
Biographies of the speakers follow.
JEFFREY N. COLE
 Jeffrey N. Cole, a retired Detroit-area industrialist, discovered challenges and opportunities in the business world, and built his company, Ferrous Processing and Trading Company, into an innovative world-wide leader in the business of reclaiming and recycling a wide variety of valuable industrial metals. Cole, who served as president and chief executive officer of Ferrous Processing and Trading Company from 1985-1999, also served as vice president of Alport Scrap and Salvage Company from 1979-1984. He was an associate, and then partner, with the law firm of Hyman and Rice in Detroit. An enthusiastic supporter of MSU, he has established several lasting legacies for MSU students and the community. He has established a Visiting Lectureship in the Honors College, instituted an endowed discretionary fund to support Honors College activities, funded a Visiting Professorship on an annual basis for the college, and most recently contributed $3 million through the Cole Foundation to Support the Honors College. This most recent gift was used to finance restoration and renovation of Eustace-Cole Hall, home of the Honors College, and to endow various scholarships. Cole also serves as chairperson of the Honors College Director's Advisory Council. Cole's philosophy is that MSU should serve not only "as a place where lifelong learning might be obtained, but also as a place where lifelong service might be done." His honors include memberships in Phi Kappa Phi, Safari Club International and the MSU Alumni Association. In 1989 he was named Michigan's "Entrepreneur of the Year." He serves on the MSU Foundation's board of directors. In 1970 he received his bachelor's degree in social science/pre-law from MSU, and was a member of the Honors College. He received his law degree from Cornell Law School. ALEJANDRO JUNCO de la VEGA
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