Hollywood director Zucker to address graduates

The director of the blockbuster movie “Ghost” and the scion of a comedy filmmaking empire will speak at four of the five commencement ceremonies, Friday-Sunday, May 16-18.

Jerry Zucker graduated from UW–Madison in 1972 with a degree in education. Along with his brother David and friend Jim Abrahams, Zucker has been responsible for such comedy classics as “Ruthless People,” “Top Secret,” “Airplane” and “Kentucky Fried Movie,” and the television series “Police Squad.”

The Zuckers and Abrahams began their odyssey to Hollywood in Madison, at 1330 Regent St., where they founded and rehearsed their improvisational troupe, Kentucky Fried Theater. When Jerry Zucker graduated from UW–Madison, the trio moved to Hollywood. During the intervening 30 years, Zucker has worked with such A-list talent as Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Patrick Swayze, John Turturro, Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges and others.

Zucker will speak at both the 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18.

About 5,000 students are eligible for degrees this spring, according to the Office of the Registrar.

Honorary-degree recipients will offer their remarks at the 5:30 p.m. ceremony on Friday, May 16. Candidates for the following will receive their degrees at this ceremony: master of fine arts, master of law, master of legal institutions, master of physical therapy, doctor of judicial science, doctor of law, doctor of medicine, doctor of musical arts, doctor of pharmacy, doctor of philosophy and doctor of veterinary medicine.

The remainder of the commencement schedule is as follows:

• 10 a.m., Saturday, May 17: bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the College of Letters and Science (majors A-H, African languages and literature through history of science).
• 2 p.m., Saturday, May 17: bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the College of Letters and Science (majors I-Z, industrial relations through zoology). Multiple majors should attend the ceremony of the major with the earliest letter of the alphabet.
• 10 a.m., Sunday, May 18: bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; the schools of Education, Human Ecology, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy; and the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.
• 2 p.m., Sunday, May 18: bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the School of Business and College of Engineering.

All ceremonies are held at the Kohl Center on Dayton Street, and are free and open to the public. No tickets are required. Parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis in most adjoining university lots and on city streets. Alcohol, food and beverages are prohibited. In addition, guests are asked not to bring stollers, coolers, thermos bottles, balloons, backpacks, large bags or luggage into the Kohl Center.

For more information, call the commencement hotline, 262-9076, or visit http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/secfac/commence/Commence.html.