Representing the LL.M. program, Edward Cummings, of England, said he welcomed the exposure to America, and to his international classmates. “We have developed renewed understanding that the majority of people in other cultures are just like us,” said Cummings, adding that this understanding will make them more tolerant of other “people’s viewpoints and motivations.”

An honorary fellowship was presented to Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which filed and won a lawsuit heard by the U.S. Supreme Court that challenged the government’s right to detain suspected terrorists at Guantanamo without charges and a trial.

Also during the ceremony, Bruce Mann, Leon Meltzer Professor of Law & Professor of History, received his second Harvey Levin Award for Teaching Excellence. This prompted him to quip, as he addressed the graduates, “I feel as if I should call on someone.”