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bureau briefs

ACCOLADES

Four UCLA faculty have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the highest honors given leaders in scholarship, business, the arts and public affairs. They are John Baldessari, professor of art; Andrea Ghez, professor of astronomy; Joel F. Handler, professor of law; and Donald A. Martin, professor of mathematics and philosophy. They were among 178 new Fellows and 24 new foreign honorary members in the 2004 class. The academy was founded in 1780 and past members have included George Washington, Ben Franklin, Daniel Webster, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill. Currently, there are more than 4,500 members, including more than 150 Nobel laureates and 50 Pulitzer Prize winners.

COMMENCEMENT

Walt Disney Co. chairman and statesman George J. Mitchell, former Food and Drug Administration chief David A. Kessler and Paramount Pictures executive and UC Regent Sherry Lansing will be among the notables delivering keynote addresses next month at UCLA commencement ceremonies. UCLA will award approximately 10,000 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees this year, including 6,000 next month. An estimated 89,000 guests are expected to attend commencement-related activities. The largest will be hosted by the UCLA College June 18 in Pauley Pavilion. Mitchell, who helped broker peace plans in Northern Ireland and Israel after serving 15 years in the U.S. Senate, and George Aratani, who survived the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and went on to found both Kenwood Electronics and Mikasa Dinnerware, will be awarded the UCLA Medal, the university’s highest honor. For details, see www.commencement.ucla.edu.

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