. >> reporter: 52, graduated from columbia university. validation of a life-altering choice. books over blood. >> whom shall i kill? somebody who yesterday i call a brother? now he's an enemy? >> reporter: his country, yugoslav yugoslavia, was a killing field in 1992. civil war, ethnic cleansing. he could either fight for a cause he didn't believe in or flee. he escaped to new york. he chose it not just as refuge, but as renaissance. >> if god had not given me some nice appearance, has given me a head, has given me a heart, and i can better myself. >> reporter: he started at the bottom, cleaning bathrooms, but these were ivy league bathrooms. he chose a janitor's job at columbia university because it came with 14 free credit hours a year. >> i do believe education, good education, it's very important not just for individuals for themselves but for society as a whole. >> reporter: first, he had to learn english. with his full-time job, it took seven years. then he enrolled in columbia's classics programs, studying greek and latin by day, s

he chose a janitor's job at columbia university because it came with 14 free credit hours a year. >>do believe that education, good education is very important, not just for individuals, for one's self but for society as a whole. >> first he had to learn english with his full-time job, it took seven years. then he enrolled in columbia's classics program. studying greek and latin by day, scrubbing toilets by night. >> he is a remarkable human being. >> garrett williams taught him and supervised his thesis on the roman philosopher seneca. the professor saw a man dedicated to knowledge. >> he would ask one question and then we ask another question and then a third question. his intellectual curiosity was very broad. >> reporter: another 12 years of work study lead to this moment, not just a crowning but also a passage. he plans to get a masters, even a ph.d. one day he hopes to teach. >> there is a saying seneca said, while you teach, you learn. >> 19 years of hard work and learning behind him he graduated from columbia university today. with honors. tony guida, cbs news, new york. >> j

. >> reporter: graduated from columbia university today. >> congratulations. >> reporter: his diplomaalidation of a life altering choice, books over blood. >> whom should i kill, somebody who yesterday i called a brother? now he is an enemy. >> reporter: his country yugoslavia was a killing field in 1992. civil war, ethnic cleansing. he could either fight for a cause he didn't believe in, or flee. he escaped to new york. he chose it not just as refuge but as renaissance. >> if god had not given me some nice appearance, have given me a head, have given me a heart, and i can better myself. >> he started at the bottom, cleaning bathrooms. but these were ivy league bathrooms. he chose a janitor's job at columbia university because it came with 14 free credit hours a year. >> i do believe that education, good education is very important, not just for individuals, for one's self but for society as a whole. >> first he had to learn english with his full-time job, it took seven years. then he enrolled in columbia's classics program. studying greek and latin by day, scrubbing toilets by night.

organization of american historians annual meeting and we're joined by professor eric foner from columbia university and linda kerber with the university of iowa. thanks to both of you for joining us. you'll be talking about at this conference about birthright citizenship and the 14th amendment. why don't you set the stage for us, mr. foner, and what is birthright citizenship? >> in a nutshell, this is the principle that any person born in the united states, regardless of the status of their parents, their ancestor, regardless of their race, gender, religion, any other category, is a citizen of the united states just by have i chew of being born here. of course you can also become a citizen by naturalization if you're an immigrant. but i think historically, the important point is that this is not a principal that goes back to the constitution. it was really implemented or institutionalized in the aftermath of the civil war and the civil rights act of 1866 then the 14th amendment which wrote it in the constitution. first clause of the 14th amendment says explicitly any person born in the united state

the speaker was a professor amitai etzioni, at that time of columbia university.t was the height of the energy crisis and it was a marvelous discussion about how we could live within the available resources we had, not history sources of energy, but all resources. i am lucky. this man that i wanted to meet, and i read his articles in the wall street journal -- in "the wall street journal call ends up in washington as a professor at the george washington university and i have gone to nell amitai etzioni. -in the very fortunate position to be able to introduce you to him. i will be back with the extraordinary amitai etzioni in a few moments. >> many have spoken out on the need to transitioned into a clean energy future. at exelon, we are acting, by 2020 we are committed to replacing more than 1500 million metric tons of gas emissions annually through greening operations, helping committees reduce emissions, and offering more low-carbon electricity in the marketplace. at exelon, we are taking action, and we are seeing results. >> "white house chronicle" is produced i

. >>> graduation season and a very special day for one columbia university janitor. 52-year-old immigrant from the ivy league school with honors. he spent a dozen years to finish his courses in the classics while working full- time in the janitor's job. first he learned english after fleeing the civil war in his native yugoslavia in 1992. >> ancient greek is just a killer. just a killer. latin is a little bit easier, at least for me. i clean bathrooms to work three more years and get a master's. then get a lot more money and better job and stuff like that. i want to try, if i can, to get a master's. >> he says after sunday's ceremony, he'll return to his cleaning duties at columbia ruft, but he hopes -- columbia university but he hopes to get a better job and go on to graduate school. >> i love that story. what an inspiration he is. >> taking advantage of the opportunity in front of you and building on it. he's going to end up with a ph.d. and also a movie. that sounds like a movie to me. >>> rain tomorrow? >> i'm glad it held off for most of our mothers celebrating today. we saw a shower

investigations where columbia university students said this. talking about corruption. you're talking about morality. that's all relative. who is to say, everybody does this. who is to say what is more moral than something else and -- it's all relevant, who cares s. that what america becomes. you couldn't tell what was right or wrong, only what sold. is that what it was all about? the quiz shows would sweep the nation and then be gone. and sex. such a moral country. in a country that prided itself on family values. alfred kinsey was a zoologist, a biologist. who did some research. research on animal sexuality. he came out with two reports. one on male sexual behavior in 1948 and one on female sexual behavior five years later. he found in his studies that fully 90% of men had visited a prostitute. that a third of them were having extramarital affairs. that 1 in 6 farm boys, 1 out of 6, had sex with a farm animal. you know, until you try it. and some sheep were very cute. i told you, we're in big trouble. for women, for women, fully half of women got married and they were

the inside syria we're now joined live from new york by dr yunus sadly huber such school at columbia university dr yunus of the you welcome to the program so the syrian ambassador to the u.n. claims that foreign powers are into minding the un back plan by sending in armed groups and weapons but if that were true surely it couldn't be enough to plunge the country into civil war was coffee and. well we have to send a stand that the syrian revolts the revolution depends how we want to call it has started as a grassroots movement but has evolved into something completely different it's no longer an issue of democracy or human rights or accused by the government from the standpoint of view of some gulf countries mostly say saudi arabia and qatar who wants at actually first of all to want to push back the prestigious money edge of many of iran and the shia. movement in the region and they want to basically stop syria or break that alliance between syria and and iran and the same thing. has said it very clearly the emir of qatar so clear that he wanted to arm and fund the opposition he basically sees

. >> reporter: 52, graduated from columbia university. validation of a life-altering choice. books over blood. >> whom shall i kill? somebody who yesterday i call a brother? now he's an enemy? >> reporter: his country, yugoslav yugoslavia, was a killing field in 1992. civil war, ethnic cleansing. he could either fight for a cause he didn't believe in or flee. he escaped to new york. he chose it not just as refuge, but as renaissance. >> if god had not given me some nice appearance, has given me a head, has given me a heart, and i can better myself. >> reporter: he started at the bottom, cleaning bathrooms, but these were ivy league bathrooms. he chose a janitor's job at columbia university because it came with 14 free credit hours a year. >> i do believe education, good education, it's very important not just for individuals for themselves but for society as a whole. >> reporter: first, he had to learn english. with his full-time job, it took seven years. then he enrolled in columbia's classics programs, studying greek and latin by day, s

paul lives on long island and commutes daily to manhattan, where he works at columbia university. paul learned he had usher syndrome while attending college when he was 19 years old. at this point in his life, he has only a pinhole of vision left and uses a cane to assist him with travel. with usher syndrome, your vision is always changing, especially as you get older. some of these changes will have a significant impact on your life. i call these changes hits. for example, in your teen years, you start to experience night blindness where you lose the ability to travel independently or safely at nighttime. narrator: lauren is 13 and, like others with usher syndrome, is experiencing early night blindness. often, this is exhibited by a child tripping or bumping into things or, in general, being viewed as clumsy. i did notice that what i thought was her balance wasn't where it should be and that she seemed to be having some trouble seeing peripherally, but what was happening again now is, the ophthalmologists, too, were not seeing what i was seeing and basically were just telling me,

he arrived finding a job as a custodian at columbia university.ing down a full-time job and clearing trash and taking courses in the classics this week on sunday, in fact, he received his degree from the elite ivy league university. gac is now a university of columbia graduate. thank you so much and congratulations. i am so thrilled to meet you. i've been reading about you. your story is simply inspiring. let me ask you about the study of classics and how you managed to study for all those years while holding down a full-time job. >> yes. i worked the second shift in the afternoons in order so i can take classes during the day and when most of the time after i returned home after work after midnight, that was the best time and the time that i actually effectively studied. >> what was the emotions when you were walking in the procession, frankly, for you, walking through that campus where you had worked for so many decades, wearing the robes, the beautiful blue robes of columbia university, what did it feel like? >> it feels great. it feels that ti

. >>> a janitor at columbia university gains a degree.or 10 years he juggled his full time job and one or two courses in a semester. finally today that ivy league janitor walked across the stage and accepted the degree. the 62-year-old is now planning on working toward a masters. slowly but surely. that is dedication. >> that's wonderful news. >> almost inspiring enough to go back to college. i don't know though. it's hard work. >> relax. >> yeah that's hard work. >> that's like jail for you, ,,,

here in new york, at columbia university, the storming of the gates during a violent demonstration againsthe vietnam war became a symbol of a generation's protest in a year fraught with assassination and rioting. and in france, the government all but fell to an alliance of students and workers. the year ended with the establishment back in power, but this dissident youth culture had become international and politicized. one result was the rejection of all forms of establishment art, and the effects of that are still with us. ♪ o beautiful ♪ for spacious skies ♪ for amber waves... the heroic symbols of world war ii are ironically recycled by edward kienholz in the portable war memorial. images of glory from the last just war reverberate bitterly at the end of the sixties. ♪ america! america! ♪ god shed his grace on thee ♪ ♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood... ♪ this is maya yin-ling's vietnam veterans memorial in washington, d.c., where the names of all the americans who died in that war are inscribed. initially, her design evoked storms of protest because it was considered unheroic. bot

talk about how the occupy movement is shaping the national conversation is todd get land at columbia universityuthor of "ongccupy nation: the roots, the spirit and the promise of occupy wall street." so thank you professor, for joining us. >> my pleasure. >> all right. so i want to get to some of the events from today because occupy oakland actually tweeted a photograph of a tank rolling down the streets of oakland. and i am wondering if from your perspective the seeming mil militarization of the police forces after 9-11, has contributed to the violence that has surrounded, that made it more violent that we might have seen otherwise? >> without a question. the police in many cities have been throwing down the gauntlet. they have all of this equipment they bought for homeland security money. and they unfortunately are -- and with the ab lucien of the-- ablution of the mayors, they are treating it as a police problem. >> that's short-sighted. i think it's in flagrant disregard of the first amendment, the part that speaks to the right of the people to peaceably asemblye. it's not something we shou

a 52-year-old janitor at columbia university was among the proud graduates from that very same school sunday. the yugoslavian immigrant fled his war-torn home 20 years ago hchl e took the custodian job because it meant free tuition. cleaning the campus and night, going to class in the morning. he plans to keep his job and now hones to go if his masters. good for him. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? upgrade to verizon fios tv, internet and phone for just $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years with a two-year agreement. this is a limited time offer, so don't wait. get fios at this great low price. act now and you'll get $250 back. but hurry. this incredible offer ends june 2nd. call 1.888.get.fios. fios. a network ahead. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v. >>> good morning. hope you enjoyed a beautiful weekend because monday could get messy. the radar is all lit up already, and we are i

a 52-year-old janitor at columbia university was among the proud graduates from that very same school sunday. the yugoslavian immigrant fled his war-torn home 20 years ago hchl e took the custodian job because it meant free tuition. cleaning the campus and night, going to class in the morning. he plans to keep his job and now hones to go if his masters. good for him. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal tv 11 news today. it's good morning. we are starting this monday with a little rainfall after a nice mother's day weekend. will see showers off and on the next couple days. there's light rain. it's not very heavy, but just a little rain. that will affect the drive, so give yourself a couple extra minutes. temperatures are in the upper 50's, low 60's. will get to the an low 70's this afternoon. off and on rain showers will stay with us through this evening. in a few minutes we will look at the seven-day forecast going into the preakness weekend. >> it is 64 degrees. coming up on 11

the most recent grad from columbia university has been a janitor at the school for nearly 20 years.the bathrooms, taking care of the trash. >> i proved that i have enough strength to finish what i start to do. >> reporter: gac fled to the u.s. from yugoslavia in 1992 to escape the civil war. he spoke -- >> no english at all. >> reporter: after landing the janitor's job and seven years of english classes, he was accepted at the university. he would take classes in the morning and work an eight-hour shift into the night. nothing about it was easy. >> gac filipaj. >> reporter: including his major. graduating with honors in classics. he's become a bit of a celebrity on campus. >> best moment in my life so far. >> reporter: even his boss, who, by the way, expects him back to work monday morning, is amazed. >> he was tenacious about keeping to his schedule. really, you know, fulfilling his goal. >> reporter: he says he plans to keep his job for now, but what he really wants -- >> i would like to go to graduate school either for masters or, even better, for ph.d. >> reporter: 52 years old,

a janitor who cleaned classrooms at columbia university for years is now a graduate. >> he put on his gown yesterday and picked up his degree with honors. he came to the country in 1992 as a refugee from yugoslavia. he took classes in the morning and followed it with an eight-hour cleaning shift overnight. he wants his ph.d. next. >> i don't ever want to hear anyone complain about school. >> he can be dr. gotts soon enough. >>> is lady gaga about to become mrs. gaga? >>> we all do it. texting and walk. there's one town in new jersey now where you better think twice before you do. for months, i had this deep pain all over my body. it just wouldn't go away. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can plan my days and accomplish more. lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or sui

. >> >> a janitor at columbia university earns a degree in english. scott phillipi, bachelor of arts. >> he took full advantage of free courses for employees, so for 10 years, he juggled his full-time job and he took one or two courses a semester, finally, today, the ivy league janitor walked across the stage and accepted his degree. the 52-year-old is not planning to stop here he is planning to work towards his martyr's degree. towards his master's degree. >> good for him. >> >> that's an inspiration. . >>> yesterday, we talked about how spectacular it was the first half of today was just as nice all of the signs of the next storm moving in. clouds came in and in some cases, rain already did. we'll start out with first warning doppler radar, most of that is off to our north or out west. western maryland has already seen a couple of thunderstorms. in the metro area, maybe a few sprinkles many that's all we have seen, you get the idea, there is a storm moving in and this is a slow moving storm and it is going to continue to be around here for a couple

. >>> for years this guy mopped floors, took out trash at columbia, university.his weekend, the 52-year-old janitor put on a cap and gown to walk as a graduate. hugs and smiles all around as he accepted his bachelors degree in classics. he's a refugee from war-torn yugoslavia. he graduated with honors after balancing work with those studies for 12 years. >> i loved it and i like -- i like that i was able to graduate from columbia. one of the best universities in the united states and one of the best universities in the world. >> making sure that tassel stays on the right side now. you worked for it. now he says his ambition is to get a masters degree and maybe one day become a teacher. >> that's a great story. >>> well, hopefully columbia university, hopefully a bump in salary. >> he can show it on that resume. >>> well, it is 5:49 right now. coming up, special kids with special needs. why job opportunities right now are so slim for young adults with autism. >>> and we continue our coverage at the shake-up at yahoo. we'll have the latest in business news just ahe

academic dream come true for an ivy league janitor >> the 52 year-old student will graduate from columbia university next week with honors. he moved to the u.s. from yugoslavia nearly 20 years ago. his full-time job as a campus custodian has allowed him to take class is in the tuition exemption program. it took him seven years to learn english and another 12 years to graduate with a bachelor's in the classics >> i would rather clean bathrooms two or three years and get a master's in get more money and a better job and stuff like that >> he is an ivy league graduate now. he said the toughest part was learning ancient greek. an incredible storm hit arizona from north to south and east to west. >> the storm hit the tucson area creating havoc. drivers were warned to take extra precaution because of a sudden appearance of limited or zero visibility. to southwest airlines flights had to be delayed. >> they get hit with these and they are terrible for your car's paint job. it just sandblasts the side of your car. in the bay area we are bottoming out and it doesn't look like it will be that bad. only upward

he got a job at columbia university as a janitor and started taking classes. he was accepted into columbia's school of general studies in 2000 and took advantage of free courses for employees. this weekend, he graduated with an ivy league degree. >> many times i did not sleep at all, especially when i had to write papers. >> the 52-year-old wants to go on for a master's degree and possibly ph.d. i love this story so much. one of the many reasons i love this country. in this country you can come from nothing and nobody and have an ivy league degree and make yourself better no matter -- >> you talk about the american dream and sometimes you lose sight of what it is. there you go. perfect example of how it happens. >> wonderful. >>> stay with us. "news4 today" continues right now at 5:00 a.m. >>> chased out. this morning, fallout from the bad investing that cost america's largest bank $2 billion. >>> and the debate rages on. this morning a magazine cover adding to the political fight over same-sex marriage. >>> good morning, everyone, i'm aaron gilchrist. >> i'm e

but this sunday gac filipaj, a janitor at columbia university, has other plans. >> this sunday, thankm going to graduate. >> reporter: 52-year-old gac filipaj is graduating from columbia with honors. >> i prove that i have enough strength to finish what i started to do. >> reporter: he pled to the u.s. from yugoslavia in 1992 to escape the civil war. he spoke -- >> no english at all. >> reporter: he landed the job as a custodian at columbia and after 7 years of english classes was accepted at the university. he would take classes in the morning, than work an 8 hour shift into the night. nothing about it was easy including his major classics. >> very difficulty, especially ancient greek. >> he was immensely proud of doing a good job as a custodian, but doing a equally good job in the classroom. >> reporter: he says he plans to keep his job for now. what he really wants is a phd. what do you think it is going to feel like for you here when you finally get that diploma and are sitting in this green at graduation? >> i don't know. probably it will seem to me as if i woke up out of a dream

the man could not speak english and now he's graduating from columbia university. >> so great, too. like my cap and gown from my alma mater chapel hill. my degree in -- >> classics. >> i studied the classics. bud light, zima. what else? >> announcer: this is abc's "world news now," informing >>> this morning on "world news now" -- corporate bloodbath. the executives at jpmorgan chase who are expected now to be out of their jobs. >> after the big banking company admitted to billions of dollars of losses over the course of a few weeks. it's monday, may 14th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >>> good monday morning. i'm rob nelson, everybody. welcome, diana perez. filling in this week while paula is on assignment. >> very excited to be here. that's right. >> that's good. came to us from -- >> still awake. >> you came to us from boston. but originally from right here in new york. queens. >> right here. >> local girl. >> queens, lived in connecticut, doing the suburbs thing. trying to figure it out. long commutes. >> you are new to abc? third or fourth week? >> thir

researchers from columbia university study more than 1200 patients over the age of 65 for more than a year. pigeons that eight more foods rich in omega three fatty acids showed lower levels of a protein linked to memory issues. this includes salmon and mackerel. >> are you hungry yet? >> i have a little sunshine for you but enjoy the rain because this could be it. this could be it. but this may be the last storm of the season. doppler radar picking up on that right now and you can see the cell moving through. a lot of cloud cover and we are seeing some delays at sfo. take it in for a closer look. you can see the rain making its way into oakland. pockets of moderate rain in berkeley as well. scattered showers in the bay area. it is sweeping in the southern direction as we enter the afternoon temperatures right now 61 degrees in concord in 62 in livermore and 59 degrees in san fransisco. 62 degrees in san jose. still drive their but that will change as we head into the afternoon. some showers outside. not a heavy rain fall. temperatures cool, just a chance that overnight we will clear t

she was just out of gravel and working as a health educator at columbia university when she started aampus website to answer students health questions. " go ask alice " would grow to become the go to resorts for sexual health on the fledgling internet. >> we were onto something in 1993 and we're still on to it. the same path. >> a path that has taken her from the origins of the internet to today's cutting edge technology. everything from mobile health tips to social media campaigns on sexual health, to online notifications, color partners that they may have been exposed to mst d. >> since most students now works as an intern with her, and the team. >> she has been able to move the sexual health field forward. and not just stay with 101 of your education. >> that means that critical information is reaching a larger audience than ever. >> the goal is to raising next generation and the next generation of sexually responsible mature healthy adults. >> so for aadapting sexual health information to the internet, this week's award winner goes to her. >> those health resources are >> those he

he's studying political science at columbia university, hoping to be a lawyer one day to advocate on behalf of kids. ryan, you were in this therapy for years, correct? >> i was in the therapy for a period of a year to a year and a half, from about the age of 14, 14 1/2 to 16. >> and the doctor, he essentially -- what was he saying was the cause of you being gay? >> i know that he tends to blame the parents in his therapy saying that a distant mother or overbearing mother and distant father caused that. i didn't really engage on the issues of homosexuality with him because i just didn't buy what he was telling me, which was once again that being gay is -- there is something wrong with it, it can be fixed. >> this idea that he -- that this doctor knows the origins of homosexuality and that it lies in the parents, a distant father, that seems antiquated and without evidence. >> there is no evidence the people who practice these therapies tell the families their beliefs, nothing based on fact. we don't know today what cause homosexuality. we don't know what causes heterosexuality. i thin

he got a job at columbia university as a janitor, then started taking classes. he was accepted into columbia's school of general studies back in 2000 and took advantage of free courses for employees. >> i got home after midnight. i studied during the night. sometimes got even two hours of sleep. sometimes i had no sleep at all. sometimes i got more sleep. all the time like that. except the summertime when i didn't take classes. >> well, congratulations to him. the 52-year-old now wants to go on for a masters degree and possibility even a ph.d.. >>> 11:23 the time. the man with the golden voice says he's come a long way since his homeless days. ted williams once worked in radio but lost his family and home after years on drugs. you may remember a reporter discovered him on the side of the road back in 2010. williams recently wrote a book about his rocky recovery and talked about it this morning on the "today" show. >> all through that journey, i never stopped praying. i never lost hope, matt. i never did. i would ask, god, please, let my mother and myself stay al

robin middleton of columbia university, new york, has developed a highly original approach to the architecturef the 18th century. the first design for this floor was a simple checkerboard without these dynamic directional indicators, but all that was to change as the building took form. the interiors here are amongst the first works of a brilliant architect of the period--robert adam. he wanted to design like a landscape gardener. he writes of the rise and the fall of the hills and dales, but especially of the movement between them. these effects he wanted to get when he put his masses together. these were notions of picturesque composition. he uses them outside and inside. when he uses his moldings and his patterns, he's modeling spaces, and he's trying to show you how to move through them. let me show you what i mean. well, you won't be surprised to learn that that door leads off to the duke's private apartments. the niche here is large, soft, intimate-- well, almost. at the other end of the hall, something different happens. a dynamic pattern on the ceiling and on the floor leads you into t

a 52-year-old custodian at columbia university in manhattan is graduating from the school this sundayphillipe came to the u.s. and didn't know english, took him 12 years to complete his classes and while working the whole time. he's ready to graduate with honors. >> a lot of end on the radar. >> this is it. and there is a lot of rain on the tunnel and we'll show it to you here, folks, in just a moment. a live look outside and looked like it wanted to rain all day and the clouds thinned here and there and now, we're getting the finale and some showers moving on through and they may be able to detoss it. and perhaps you pick up a half an inch. we're going to call it light to moderate rain and there are imbedded spots heavier and this is what is kind of focusing it, the same front in the forecast the past few days and that is finally struggling through the area and that is inspiring, a few more showers and storms and there is a second one coming through and we're getting closer here. what we're showing is a couple of spots with imbedded moderate downpours and not much in the way of thund

in physics from columbia university, served as a research scientist and then a senior science and research manager for the government. in 1965 he became secretary of the air force where he worked closely with mcnamara leaving government in 1969, he returned in 1977 as president jimmy carter's secretary of defense. since 1981 he has been deeply involved in researching, speaking and writing on national security policy. we're grateful to have him leading off our panel today and look forward to hearing his personal perspectives of secretary mcnamara's ten you're. tenure. >> thank you very much. it's good to be with you this afternoon. i look forward to reading the current volume in the history of the office of the secretary of defense series. it may prepare me for what the third and the future set says about me if i live long enough to read that. when mcnamara left office in january of 1969, the members of his staff and the service secretaries presented him with a large globe and during the presentati presentation, the citation that we had prepared said, to the outstanding public servant of ou

. >> from the milwaukee meeting of american historians, columbia university history professor and university of iowa history professor linda curber discussed the 14th amendment and the birth right citizenship provision. they argue that birth rights dramatically changed from the better and the provision is unique to the united states. this is a half hour. thanks to both of you for joining us. you will be talking about at this conference about birth right citizenship. set the stage for us in what is birth right citizenship. >> in a nut shell, this is the principal that any person born in the united states regardless of the status of their parents and theiran set offers and race and gender and religion and any other category is a citizen of the united states by virtue of being born here. you can become a citizen if you are an immigrant. the important point is this was not a principal that goes to the constitution. in the civil rights act of 1866. the first clause of the 14th amendment said any person born in the united states with or two minor exceptions were thought to be citizens of their own

former captain montalvan, along with tuesday, has completed his master's degree from columbia university in journalism and is working towards another masters in strategic and indication. they continue to travel and speak as passionate advocates for servicemembers and their families a month veterans and people with disabilities. i am honored and proud to introduce to you, former captain luis carlos montalvan and his service dog and loyal friend, tuesday. [applause] >> thank you jo-ellen. thank you for that lovely introduction. thank you everyone for being here, and for those of you i'm going to raise my voice for a moment because today is armed forces day. [applause] and we need to take pause for that, especially on a day as gorgeous as today. thank you of course. it's great to be back in gaithersburg. i am from montgomery county, went to winston churchill high school and went to the university of maryland for undergraduate work. you know, traveled all over the country and its nostalgic and wonderful to be home, mostly because of the people but also because of the environment. it's just w

. >> he landed a job at columbia university, mopping floors. cleaning mirrors, and emptying the trash. that custodial job turned into an education in the classics and now an ivy league degree. >> the hardest for me was and still is elementary ancient greek. >> but the now 52-year-old was accepted into columbia school of general studies back in 2000 and took advantage of free courses for employees. he said juggling a full-time job and one or two courses a semester got exhausting at times. he typically took morning classes so he could work the night shift until 11:00 p.m., then he had to commute home. >> many times, i did not sleep at all. especially when i had to write papers. >> but he says it was worth it. sunday, the custodian will receive a classics degree from the prestigious university, graduating with honors. >> he's an inspiration for the wider community. >> i would like that people when they look at me at this age, that i graduated, they do not feel ashamed to go to school. >> capping a 20-year journey of learning valuable lessons by te

a 52-year-old janitor at columbia university was among the proud graduates from that very same school sunday. the yugoslavian immigrant fled his war-torn home 20 years ago. he took the custodian job because it meant free tuition. cleaning the campus at night and then going to class in the morning. he is going to keep his job and now he hopes to go for his masters. love that. good luck to him. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today, on your nbc station. >>> well, people in thailand are launching into monsoon season with a big bang. hundreds of villagers gathered for the annual thai rocket festival to mark the beginning of the rainy season. the yearly ritual has residents competing to keep a rocket airborne as long as possible. locals believe the rockets pay homage to the rain gods in hopes of an abundant farm season. >>> competitors in the philippines gathered for a regatta of makeshift watercraft. nearly a dozen vessels made from recycled and nonbiodegradable materials raced for the title of best green craft as a way to promote green recycling an

. >>> after 12 years a janitor at columbia university can now say he has graduated from the ivy league school. the 52-year-old accepted his diploma yesterday, refugee from yugoslavia and fled there in 1992 as it slipped into a brutal civil war and took a job as a custody yaen at columbia where as an employee his classes were free. he studied in the morning then worked the evening shift. sometimes not sleeping at all. he focused on roman philosophy earning a bachelor's degree with honors in classics. the new graduate says he may pursue a doctorate in hopes of becoming a teacher. a diploma 12 years in the making. >>> i'm told it was the most exciting thing to happen in soccer. granted the bar is pretty low for that. highlights of adramatic epl championship and highlights from american sports coming up. >>> will ferrell opens up "saturday night live" in style bringing his mother up on stage and bringing back george w. bush. that story and a check on weather when "way too early" comes right back. >>> followed by a police car and other signs of protection along the way. we arrived about 10: