Red Sox owner and Emmy-winning producer Tom Werner is keynote speaker at Commencement May 21
 
UNH graduates will share the celebration of their academic accomplishments this year with Tom Werner, award-winning television producer and chairman of the reigning World Series Champions, the Boston Red Sox. Werner will give the keynote address at UNH’s 135th Commencement, Saturday, May 21, 2005, beginning at 10 a.m. in Cowell Stadium.

Tom Werner

A former owner of the San Diego Padres, Werner and a group of partners bought the Red Sox in 2002, just three years before the team went on to win its first World Series championship in 86 years. One of their earliest promises was to save Fenway Park and in the interim they have done much to improve the fan experience there. They also created the Red Sox Foundation, the leading philanthropy in all of sports, which has donated millions of dollars to New England charities.

For more than two decades, Werner has shaped and defined television entertainment as a partner and co-founder of Carsey-Werner, one of the most successful independent studios in television history.

Werner’s many credits as executive producer include The Cosby Show, Roseanne, 3rd Rock From the Sun, That ‘70s Show, A Different World, Cybill, Grounded for Life and Grace Under Fire. He and his partner Marcy Carsey, UNH ’66, have developed a library of programs seen in more than 175 counties and translated into 50 languages.

Werner has been inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and Broadcasting and Cable Magazine’s Hall of Fame.
Carsey-Werner’s philosophy of putting the audience first brought their shows many accolades including 24 Emmy Awards, 11 Golden Globes, 23 People’s Choice Awards, 4 Humanitas Prizes, 2 George Foster Peabody Awards and 18 NAACP Image Awards. Along with being honored by the Museum of Television and Radio, the entertainment duo have received the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award from National Association of Television Program Executives, the David Susskind Lifetime Achievement Award from The Producer’s Guild of America and a place in the Museum of the American Dream as one of the 20th century’s most extraordinary achievers. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently appointed Werner to the California Film Commission. He also serves on the boards of a number of philanthropic organizations, including the Dana Farber Institute in Boston.

Commencement parking is available in Lots A, F, Mast Road and West Edge. Shuttles will provide transportation from the Mast Road and West Edge lots. Special services parking is available in B Lot for those candidates and guests with mobility impairments. For more information: http://www.unh.edu/presidentialevents/commencement/index.html.