Cable executive to speak at Ivy Day

Wharton School of Business alumnus Brian Roberts will be this year's Ivy Day speaker, University President Judith Rodin announced yesterday. Roberts is the president of Comcast, a Philadelphia-based telecommunications company. He graduated from Penn in 1971. This spring marks his class's 25th reunion. "Comcast is one of the remarkable success stories of the cable industry," Rodin said. "In the last month, it has purchased the [Philadelphia] 76ers, the Flyers and the Spectrum." Roberts began his career at Comcast in 1982 and was named its president in 1990. He is a board member of the Turner Broadcasting System, QVC and Viewer's Choice. Roberts is chairperson of the National Cable Television Association and vice-chairperson of the Walter Kaitz Foundation, which trains minorities for employment in the cable television industry. He is also an executive committee member of CableLabs, a non-profit organization committed to technology research for the cable industry. He has focused on the future of telecommunications and the Telecommunications Reform Act of 1995 during speeches he has given in the past. But Rodin said Roberts would speak about his experiences at the University and his life after graduation, in addition to "strategic planning," during his Ivy Day speech. "He's a wonderful speaker," she said. "We're very pleased." University spokesperson Barbara Beck called Roberts an excellent choice. "He has been able to take what he has learned here and has become an enormously successful businessman," Beck explained. Senior Class President Lenny Chang said the Senior Class Board was primarily responsible for choosing Roberts. Chang, a Wharton senior, explained that the board brainstormed about speakers and also asked members of the class for ideas. "We ask anyone that might have a good Ivy Day speaker candidate," he said. Wharton Dean Thomas Gerrity formally asked Roberts to speak, Chang added. He said Roberts was selected because of his close relationship with the University and his "prestigious position in a dynamic industry." The Ivy Day celebration is held annually on the Saturday before Commencement. This year, it will take place at 4 p.m. on May 18 in Irvine Auditorium. Honored at the festivities are four male and four female seniors who are chosen by their classmates for overall excellence and campus involvement. "Ivy Day is a longstanding tradition at the University," Chang said. "It's all about commemorating the senior class." Also during the ceremonies, the graduating class will unveil its Ivy Stone, and the eight award winners will plant ivy near the stone. The stone will be placed on Houston Hall this year, according to Chang.

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