Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,

    Many of you shared our excitement when we announced that Mike Daisey would be one of the 2012 recipients of an honorary degree and would speak at Commencement. Since then, Mr. Daisey has acknowledged that he personally did not witness all the events that he said he did, and he exaggerated the level of his own experiences to journalists.

    Since its founding by Nellie Cornish in 1914, Cornish College of the Arts has educated and prepared students to contribute to society as artists, citizens, and innovators.  One essential principle of that education is the importance of professional integrity.  Because of that foundational value, Cornish will not award an honorary degree to Mr. Daisey.  Cornish and Mr. Daisey have mutually agreed he will withdraw from commencement. Commencement is the day when we honor our students for their achievements; the focus of this day is properly on the students and their families.

    A public announcement will be made very soon and we wanted to make sure that our community receives the information first. We appreciate the many thoughtful comments that you have shared with the President of the College and the Board of Trustees. We welcome any other thoughts you wish to share.We are very pleased to announce that the 2012 commencement address will be delivered by artist, designer, and technologist Chris Csikszentmihályi. He is one of three honorary degree recipients, including distinguished pianist Christopher O’Riley and renowned artist Betye Saar. The degrees will be presented by President Nancy J. Uscher at the Cornish Commencement Ceremony on May 13, 2012 at 1 pm at Benaroya Hall. We hope we will see you there.