Pratt Institute will celebrate its 137th Commencement on Tuesday, May 19, with graduating students gathering at the iconic Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan to receive their degrees. The Institute will celebrate the accomplishments of approximately 1,400 graduating students, conferring degrees during a ceremony starting at 10 AM.
This year, prominent journalist and editor David Remnick will deliver the Commencement address and receive an honorary degree, while Dr. Mariët Westermann, renowned art historian and cultural and educational leader, and Ted Shaine, BFA Advertising Design ’68, esteemed designer and printmaker, will also receive honorary degrees.
David Remnick’s honorary degree will be conferred in recognition of his remarkable contributions as a reporter, writer, and editor. Leading The New Yorker since 1998 and serving as a staff writer since 1992, Remnick has overseen the magazine’s rise as one of the most honored publications in the country, earning more than 50 National Magazine Awards and 11 Pulitzer Prizes during his tenure. Remnick is the author of seven books, including Lenin’s Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire, as well as biographies of Muhammad Ali and Barack Obama. His reporting has spanned Russia, the Middle East, and Europe, and his writing has profiled figures across politics, literature, and the arts. He is also the host of The New Yorker Radio Hour and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Dr. Mariët Westermann’s honorary degree will be conferred in recognition of her inspired leadership at the helm of some of the world’s most eminent cultural institutions. As director and CEO of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation in New York, she oversees the Guggenheim Foundation’s constellation of museums in New York, Venice, Bilbao, and soon in Abu Dhabi. Westermann has held senior leadership roles across academia and philanthropy, including as vice chancellor of NYU Abu Dhabi, executive vice president of the Mellon Foundation, and director of NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts. A scholar of the art of the Netherlands, she has published widely and serves on the boards of leading cultural institutions, including the Rijksmuseum and the American Academy in Rome.
Ted Shaine’s honorary degree will be conferred in recognition of his distinguished career in design and advertising. A graduate of Pratt’s School of Design, Shaine began his career at the influential advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB), where he contributed to campaigns for major brands including Volkswagen and El Al Airlines, and later continued his work at BBDO. Over the course of his career, Shaine created work for iconic clients such as FedEx, Pepsi, and Club Med, earning an Emmy Award nomination and collaborating with figures including Muhammad Ali and John Cleese. His graphic work is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Today, he focuses on printmaking, with work recognized in international competitions.