am especially grateful that this honor has been bestowed on me during the presidential tenure of john sexton, an old friend from his days as dean of the new york law school, and by a distinguished board of trustees led by martin lipton. i am so glad john is wearing a yankee cap. my most enduring memory of john is his coming to a formal saturday luncheon meeting at the law school dressed in jeans and sneakers, sporting a yankee cap a after watching his daughter katie playing softball. knowing john, i bet it is the same cap he is wearing today. i just hope he washed it. many of us take for granted that we have graduated for college. we forget that for many of our parents and grandparents, college was an unattainable dream. it is still a dream for many even here in the united states. you are all privileged to have received the education that nyu offer, and i hope that you will always treasure that gift as much as i treasure my degree. [ cheers and applause ] i am also deeply humbled to share this honor with father patrick du bois, david brooks and charles weisman. three men who have helped us b