Mark Zuckerberg returned to Harvard University last week to receive his first degree, about 12 years after dropping out to build Facebook. He was one of 10 luminaries recognized by the university during its 366th Commencement.
Zuckerberg, who also delivered the commencement address, was given a doctor of laws degree. In his speech, the Facebook CEO urged the new graduates to help others find their life’s purpose.
“[I]’m not here to give you the standard commencement about finding your purpose. We’re millennials. We’ll try to do that instinctively. Instead, I’m here to tell you finding your purpose isn’t enough. The challenge for our generation is creating a world where everyone has a sense of purpose,” said Zuckerberg.
He described purpose as the sense people have of being part of something bigger than themselves – that they are needed, and that there is something better ahead to work for.
“To keep our society moving forward, we have a generational challenge — to not only create new jobs, but create a renewed sense of purpose,” he added.
Other doctor of laws degree recipients were former Lockheed Martin chairman and CEO Norman Augustine, Somali human rights activist and physician Hawa Abdi, feminist literary critic and author Sandra Gilbert, and distinguished academic Walter Massey.
Harvard conferred honorary doctor of arts degrees to Dame Judy Dench and James Earl Jones. Doctor of science degrees were conferred to computer scientist Michael Rabin and geneticist and neuroscientist Huda Zzoghbi. Acclaimed composer John Williams received a doctor of music degree.
Related stories:
Facebook pressures law firms to ‘like’ diversity
Cooley pockets US$1.8m from Snapchat IPO
