Facebook COO to speak at Barnard Class Day

Barnard poked Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, to speak at Barnard’s 2011 Class Day.

Sandberg, a Harvard graduate who was recently named one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business by Fortune magazine, oversees Facebook’s business operations. Prior to joining the popular social networking website, Sandberg helped launch Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm.

“As COO of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg is at the helm of one of the most innovative and influential businesses of our time, one that has reimagined human interaction and entirely changed the way we think about the world,” Barnard President Debora Spar said in a statement.

“Her career, in both public and private sectors, represents that rare combination of bold creativity, sharply-honed business and political skills, and a profound commitment to women’s issues that I know will resonate with the class of 2011. I have no doubt that her words will inspire our graduates as much as her work has already influenced their lives,” Spar said.

Sandberg has been described as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “most valuable friend” by The New York Times.

Following Wednesday night’s senior toast, when Sandberg’s choice was announced, Barnard seniors had mixed reactions to the decision.

“I think that a lot of women may seem to appreciate more liberal arts-based speakers, but it’s great to see one of the most powerful companies in the world’s COO coming,” Lara Chelak, BC ’11 and former Spectator online editor, said.

After last year’s speaker Meryl Streep and the previous year’s choice of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, some expressed regret at the lack of name recognition.

“Although they don’t have the glitz and glamour of the last speaker, it’s going to be interesting to see what they have to say, especially because of the lack of women in business and in technology,” Alexandra Voss, BC ’11, said. “I think there is something nice about having recognition for the person that is going to be speaking at commencement, but I think in the bigger picture, it will be interesting to see what she has to say.”

For Freesia Levine, BC ’11, the announcement was the first time that graduation’s approach hit home.

“It was nice to be together as a class and have Dean Denburg ... begin us off during our convocation and now sort of end it. During convocation, she sort of made the big speech and brought us into the Barnard community and today, she kind of released us out into the world,” Levine said.

At the toast, President Spar also announced the four recipients of the 2011 Barnard Medal of Distinction, the college’s highest honor.

The recipients are Sandberg; Sylvia Rhone, president of Universal Motown Records; Roberta Guaspari, advocate for music education in public schools; and Jenny Holzer, who has been recognized for her contributions to the American conceptual art movement.

Kate Sacks, president of Barnard’s Senior Fund, also announced that the senior class gift will be a contingency fund for the financial aid office, to provide students receiving financial aid with items not covered by their aid package. The Fund began collecting funds at the toast.

“We’re hoping to raise $10,000 to give to the financial aid office by spring break,” Sacks said.

rakhi.agrawal@columbiaspectator.com