Recipients of Honorary Degrees Announced

Carleton College proudly announces that it will confer two honorary degrees at its 135th commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 13. Acclaimed concert pianist and Northfield native Peter Basquin and philanthropic businesswoman Annie S.C. Wu will each receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the College. Each honorary degree recipient will then address the graduating Class of 2009.

After graduating summa cum laude from Carleton in 1964 with a B.A. in music, Basquin pursued a Master of Music degree in piano at the Manhattan School of Music. He went on to a long and illustrious career as a concert pianist and a professor of music and Director of Musical Performance at City University of New York’s Hunter College in New York City. He won the Montreal International Piano Competition in 1971, and has performed regularly at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and Carnegie Hall. Basquin’s performance career also includes appearances as a featured soloist for the Boston Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the American Symphony Orchestra. He has performed under famed conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Gunther Schuller, Dennis Russell Davies, and Paul Dunkel. While his solo work is highly regarded, Basquin has specialized in collaborative, chamber performances. He currently tours with the Aeolian Chamber Players, and has been featured on recordings with many other instrumentalists. During his thirty years as a professor at Hunter, he taught in the piano studio and led piano literature courses. Now, as professor emeritus, he serves as a faculty artist at the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival and holds the Francis Thorne piano chair of the American Composers Orchestra.

The second honorary degree will be conferred upon Annie S.C. Wu. In addition to being the founder of Beijing Air Catering, Ltd., Wu has provided Carleton students with invaluable assistance as a consultant to Carleton Off-Campus Studies programs, particularly the Beijing Seminar led by Roy Grow, Frank B. Kellogg Professor of International Relations. Wu’s entrepreneurial success began in 1980, when she established Beijing Air Catering, the first joint-venture company in mainland China. Almost thirty years later, she is the vice-chairperson or managing director of more than 15 joint-venture air catering and services companies in China, and Beijing Air Catering provides 50 airlines with over 40,000 meals per day. Her impact extends beyond the catering industry, however: she is one of the founders of the Hong Kong Federation of Women, and chair of The Chinese History & Culture Educational Foundation for Youth and the Hong Kong Soong Ching Ling Children’s Foundation, Ltd. The effects of Wu’s philanthropic work are also far-reaching. She leads a large family foundation that contributes to projects which promote educational opportunity and exchange across Asia. Her dedication to this cause is also seen in her work with Carleton students. She has assisted in overcoming logistical barriers to study abroad programs in China, and has helped dozens of Carleton students find jobs in China. Wu has been key in building countless bridges between Northfield and China.

The commencement ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 13, and will be held on the lawn west of Hulings Hall, barring inclement weather. In the event of severe weather, the ceremony will be moved to Carleton’s Recreation Center. For more information, including disability accommodations, contact the Office of College Relations at (507) 222-4309.