‘A terrific role model’

Robert D. Ballard

Deep-sea explorer Robert D. Ballard, best known for his historic discovery of the wreck of the R.M.S. Titanic and president of the Institute for Exploration at Mystic Aquarium, has been chosen to give the keynote address at the Class of 2007’s Commencement.

During his long career, Ballard has conducted more than 100 deep-sea expeditions using the latest in exploration technology. A pioneer in the early use of deep-diving submarines, he was on the first manned expedition of the largest mountain range on Earth, the Mid-Ocean Ridge. Later, he led an expedition off the Galapagos Islands that found new living things on Earth. The discovery has revolutionized understanding of the origin of life on the planet and increased the likelihood of discovering living things elsewhere in the solar system.

“Robert Ballard is a terrific role model for our students,” said President Leo I. Higdon, Jr. “His determination, knowledge and thirst for discovery aptly parallels the experiences of our students at Connecticut College. I am thrilled to have someone of his caliber address the Class of 2007.”

Ballard was chosen to speak at Commencement through a selection process that included students, faculty and staff.

Following his discovery of the Titanic, Ballard went on to find other lost legends in the sea, including the German battleship Bismarck, the aircraft carrier Yorktown — it sank during the Battle of Midway — and President John F. Kennedy’s PT-109. Ballard is not only an explorer-in-residence for the National Geographic Society and scientist emeritus from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, he is the director of the newly created Institute for Archaeological Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, where he is in search of ancient lost history in the depths of the deep sea.

A popular lecturer, Ballard has also pioneered distance-learning in the classrooms of America and around the world with the JASON Project, an awarding-winning educational program that reaches more than 1.7 million students and 38,000 teachers annually. His books on his discovery of the Titanic and Bismarck were both No. 1 bestsellers on the lists at the New York Times and London Times, and his recent “Return to Titanic” special on the National Geographic Channel was the highest-rated show in the channel’s history.

The Explorer’s Club and the National Geographic Society have honored Ballard with their most prestigious awards, the Explorer’s Medal and the Hubbard Medal. He also has won the Lindbergh Award. Most recently, he received the National Endowment for the Humanities Medal.

Ballard received his undergraduate degree in geology and chemistry from the University of California. He attended graduate school at the University of Southern California and the University of Hawaii and received his doctorate in marine geology and geophysics from the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. He holds honorary degrees from several universities, colleges and academies.

Ballard was a distinguished military graduate of USC with a commission in Army intelligence. Later, his commission was transferred to the U.S. Navy, and during the Vietnam War, he served on active duty as a lieutenant. Ballard rejoined the U.S. Naval Reserve as a commander in 1982 and resigned his commission in 2001.