Commencement Speakers

Actor Kelsey Grammer 2001 Commencement Speaker

     Kelsey Grammer, three-time Emmy Award-winning actor and star of the popular NBC comedy series “Frasier,” will deliver the main address at the 131st Commencement of the University of Massachusetts, to be held at 10:00 a.m. on Sun. May 27, in Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Approximately 4,000 undergraduates are candidates for bachelor’s degrees.

     Grammer, who will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree, was awarded the three Emmy Awards for his portrayal of the neurotic and pompous yet likable Dr. Frasier Crane. He has received 11 Emmy nominations for playing the character in three different series, “Cheers,” “Wings,” and “Frasier.” He also won Golden Globe, Screen Actor’s Guild, American Comedy, and People’s Choice awards, for the same role.

     Grammer can be seen in the recently released feature film, “15 Minutes.” His additional feature film credits include the voice of the prospector, Stinky Pete, in the animated film “Toy Story 2,” and the Fox feature film, “Down Periscope.”

     Grammer was born on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and was raised in New Jersey and Florida. After two years at the Juilliard School, he was accepted at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, where he spent three years performing in classic works by Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw. He later performed in regional theaters across the U.S. His Broadway credits include “Macbeth” and “Othello,” and he performed the title role of “Richard II” at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Grammer’s early television work included roles on the daytime dramas “Another World,” “One Life to Live,” and “Guiding Light.” His production company, Grammnet Productions, has numerous comedy and drama projects currently in production.

Finance Major Karen G. Borsetti 2001 Student Speaker

     Karen G. Borsetti, of Beverly, MA, a finance major and the second in her immediate family to graduate from the University of Massachusetts, has been selected student speaker for the campus’s 131st Commencement Sun. May 27 at 10 a.m. in Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium.

     Borsetti is a Dean’s List student at UMass, where she is a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society and recent inductee of Beta Gamma Sigma, the national honor society for business majors. A participant in the National Student Exchange, she spent the Fall 1999 semester at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, in Honolulu, where she studied marketing and finance, as well as the ethnic diversity of Hawaii and the social, economic, and political issues confronting the state. She also is a recipient of the George D. and Marion K. Roberts Scholarship.

     Following graduation, Borsetti will be a consultant in the Enterprise Risk Services department of Deloitte & Touche, Boston. During the summer of 2000, she was an intern at the international financial services firm, where she worked in Control Assurance for Enterprise Risk Services. During her internship, she documented client interviews of key information-technology personnel; updated audit system files with recent changes to the client’s system environment; and interacted with clients to perform control testing of the client’s IT environment. She also attended the firm’s SELECT 2000 Internship Training Conference in Atlanta.

     At UMass, Borsetti has worked as a campus representative and information specialist at the Robsham Visitors Center, and for the UMass Amherst Annual Fund.

     “It is a huge honor to be representing the Class of 2001 as the student Commencement speaker,” Borsetti says. “For my friends, family and me, this accomplishment makes UMass feel that much smaller, and makes graduation weekend even more meaningful than it already is.”

     Borsetti is the daughter of Nancy and John Borsetti, and a 1997 graduate of Manchester (MA) Jr.-Sr. High School. Her sister Janna received a bachelor’s degree from the University in May 2000.

     Borsetti was chosen student speaker by a committee of faculty and students.

Jeff Taylor, CEO of Monster.com, to Speak at Commencement

     Jeff Taylor, chief executive officer of Monster.com, will speak at the undergraduate Commencement of the University of Massachusetts, Sun. May 27 at 10 a.m. in Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Taylor will receive a bachelor’s degree from University Without Walls during the ceremonies. Keynote speaker at the event is Emmy Award-winning actor Kelsey Grammer. Finance major Karen Borsetti, of Beverly, is student speaker.

     Taylor founded The Monster Board, an online job-search site, in 1994. Monster.com, the global online career network, was formed in 1999 through the merger of The Monster Board and Online Career Center.

     In addition to serving as CEO of Monster.com, Taylor is also the chief executive officer of TMP Interactive, a unit of TMP Worldwide, an online recruitment firm and one of the world’s largest recruitment advertising agency networks. Taylor joined TMP Worldwide in 1995, when it acquired his specialized recruitment advertising agency, Adion Inc.

     Taylor attended the University from 1978-83 before launching his career, and recently completed the requirements for an individualized bachelor’s degree through UWW. His area of concentration is "Human Capital and Marketing in the New Economy."

     In April, Taylor was the Eleanor Bateman Alumni Scholar in Residence at UMass. During his time on campus, he met with students, visited classes, and delivered a public lecture.

© 2001. This Web site is an official publication of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. It is maintained by the Web Development Group of University Advancement.