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DREAMWORKS ANIMATION CEO JEFFREY KATZENBERG TO SPEAK AT RINGLING COLLEGE 2008 COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY
Katzenberg Will be Presented with Ringling College’s First Honorary Doctor of Arts Degree 
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Jeffrey Katzenberg
Photo Courtesy of DreamWorks Animation SKG
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Sarasota, Fla. - April 7, 2008 - Ringling College of Art and Design today announced that Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (NYSE: DWA), will speak at the College’s 2008 Commencement Ceremony on May 2, 2008 at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, Florida. At this event, Ringling College will present Mr. Katzenberg with its first-ever Honorary Doctor of Arts Degree.
“We are delighted to welcome Jeffrey Katzenberg to Ringling to share his experience and wisdom with our graduates and their families,” said Ringling College President Dr. Larry R. Thompson. “We are honored to have someone of his caliber in the entertainment industry join us for this momentous occasion and to be Ringling College’s first recipient of the Honorary Doctor of Arts degree,” Thompson remarked. “His presence also makes sense since so many of our graduates are employed by top-quality entertainment companies like DreamWorks,” said Thompson.
Mr. Katzenberg’s 2008 Commencement address will focus on the value of the creative spirit, a message sure to resonate with Ringling’s graduates and their families. When asked to comment on his perception of creativity and individual voice, Mr. Katzenberg eloquently noted, “Artists create. It’s that simple and that mysterious ... an authentic form of magic requiring no trick but talent.”
In 2004, Mr. Katzenberg visited the Ringling College campus to talk to students about working in the film industry and to share his vision for what students can do to best prepare for life after college. Mr. Katzenberg credited the College with educating well-rounded students who are adept at both the visual arts and technology, saying, “Ringling has struck a very well-tuned balance between supporting artistic expression and providing valuable, disciplined training.”
Under Mr. Katzenberg’s leadership, DreamWorks Animation has enjoyed a number of critical and commercial successes, including Shrek and its sequels, Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third, Madagascar, Over the Hedge, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Shark Tale and Bee Movie. Shrek and Wallace & Gromit both won the Oscar® for Best Animated Feature Film and Shrek 2 is the highest-grossing animated feature film of all time. The Company’s newest release, Kung Fu Panda, starring Jack Black, will be released into theaters on June 6th. Monsters vs. Aliens, which is slated for domestic release on March 27, 2009, will be the studio’s first film produced in Ultimate 3D technology.
DreamWorks Animation was a division of DreamWorks SKG until October 2004, when it became a separate publicly traded company. Prior to co-founding DreamWorks with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen in October 1994, Mr. Katzenberg served as Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. DreamWorks is one of nearly 50 industry leaders that regularly visits the Ringling College campus to interview and hire graduates.
The 2008 Ringling College Commencement marks the first official year that students will graduate with a diploma bearing the name, “Ringling College of Art and Design” as a result of the institution’s name change in 2007. The Class of 2008, which numbers 251, represents a student body of 1,200 from 43 U.S. states and 31 countries. Each graduate will receive the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (BFA).
2008 COMMENCEMENT INFORMATION
The faculty, staff, and graduating class of Ringling College of Art and Design announce Commencement exercises on Friday,
May 2, 2008 at 7 p.m. at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, Florida.
Ringling College of Art and Design President Dr. Larry R. Thompson will host a reception for graduating seniors and their families on Thursday evening, May 1, 2008 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Ulla Searing Student Center on the Ringling College of Art and Design campus.
A Baccalaureate service will be held on Thursday, May 1, 2008, preceding the President's Reception at 3:00 in Selby Lecture Hall.
Graduation rehearsal for students will be held Wednesday, April 30 at 10 a.m. in the Ulla Searing Student Center Exhibition Hall.
Graduates and families of graduates were sent a mailing in February, 2008, and further details will be posted to our website as they become available. Please feel free to contact the Office of Student Life at 941.359.7509 if you have any specific questions regarding Commencement.
An updated list of conveniently located hotels follows.
HOTELS
ALONG THE NORTH TRAIL
Hotel Indigo Sarasota
Total Distance from Ringling College: 1.3 miles
1223 Boulevard of the Arts
Reservations: 941.487.3800
Rates:
Effective Dates: 1/1/08-4/30/08 $154
Effective Dates: 5/1/08-12/31/08 $124
Southland Inn
Across the Trail from Ringling College
2229 North Tamiami Trail
Reservations: 941.954.5775
Rates:
Effective Dates: 1/1/08-4/15/08 $69 Single/$99 Standard/$129 Suite/$149 Apt.
Effective Dates: 4/16/08-12/31/08 $42 Single/$69 Standard/$89 Suite/$109 Apt.
AIRPORT [SARASOTA-BRADENTON INTERNATIONAL SRQ]
Courtyard by Marriott
Total Distance from Ringling College: 1.71 miles
850 University Parkway
Reservations: 800.321.2211
Phone: 941.355.3337
Rates:
Effective Dates: 1/13/08-3/30/08 $149 Standard
Effective Dates: 3/31/08-12/31/08 $109 Standard
Hilton Garden Inn
Total Distance from Ringling College: 2.44 miles
8270 North Tamiami Trail
Reservations: 877.STAY HGI [782.9444]
Phone: 941.552.1100
Rates:
Effective Dates: 1/1/08-4/30/08 $149
Effective Dates: 5/1/08-12/31/08 $104
Residence Inn by Marriott*
Total Distance from Ringling College: 1.97 miles
1040 University Parkway
Reservations: 800.331.3131
Phone: 941.358.1468
Rates:
Effective Dates: 1/13/08-3/30/08 $164 1 BR Suite
Effective Dates: 3/31/08-12/31/08 $128 1 BR Suite
*Pets are permitted
SpringHill Suites by Marriott
Total Distance from Ringling College: 1.94 miles
1020 University Parkway
Reservations: 800.287.9400
Phone: 941.358.3385
Rates:
Effective Dates: 1/13/08-3/30/08 $149 King or DB Standard
Effective Dates: 4/15/07-12/31/07 $109 King or DB Standard
DOWNTOWN
Hyatt Sarasota
Total Distance from Ringling College: 1.41 miles
1000 Blvd of the Arts
Reservations: 800.233.1234
Phone: 941.953.1234
Rates:
Effective Dates: 1/1/08-4/30/08 $179 Standard
Effective Dates: 5/1/08-12/31/08 $149 Standard
Ritz-Carlton Sarasota
Total Distance from Ringling College: 1.18 miles
1111 Ritz Carlton Drive
Reservations: 800.241.3333
Phone: 941.309.2217
Rates:
Effective Dates: 1/1/08 - 4/30/08 $249 Deluxe View
Effective Dates: 5/1/08-12/14/08 $169 Deluxe View
Effective Dates: 12/15/08-12/30/08 $249 Deluxe View
ON THE BEACH
Lido Beach Holiday Inn
Total Distance from Ringling College: 4.45 miles
233 Ben Franklin Drive
Reservations: 866.306.5452
Phone: 941.388.5555
Rates:
Effective Dates: 1/1/08-2/14/08 $99 Standard
Effective Dates: 2/15/08-4/5/08 $159 Standard
Effective Dates: 4/6/08-12/18/08 $99 Standard
Effective Dates: 12/19/08-12/31/08 $159 Standard
Lido Beach Resort
Total Distance from Ringling College: 4.83 miles
700 Ben Franklin Drive
lidobeachresort.com
Reservations: 800.441.2113
Phone: 941.388.2161
Rates:
Effective Dates: 1/1/08-2/14/08 Weekday $109 Deluxe w/kit
Weekend $139
Effective Dates: 2/15/08-4/5/08 Weekday $179 Deluxe w/kit
Weekend $209
Effective Dates: 4/6/08-12/18/08 Weekday $109 Deluxe w/kit
Weekend $139
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