The university has a tradition of awarding degrees to high-profile figures.
PRINCETON -- Princeton University continued its tradition of awarding an honorary degree to celebrities and high-profile figures on Tuesday, bestowing a doctor of laws to former Federal Reserve Chairman Benjamin Bernanke.
Honorary degree recipients do not speak at Princeton's commencement, but students applauded Bernanke as he received his degree on stage. The university said it honored Bernanke, one of six honorary degree recipients, for his work during the country's fiscal crisis.
Bernanke joins the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Spike Lee, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Meryl Streep and Hank Aaron, who were all surprise commencement day honorees at the university.
The ceremony on the lawn of Nassau Hall drew nearly 10,000 people, according to the university, including Gov. Chris Christie, whose son was among the 1,291 graduates.
Commencement capped a long weekend of events for the Class of 2016, such as Monday's Class Day and hooding ceremonies. Prior to Tuesday's ceremony, graduating seniors posed for photos on campus and savored the final minutes of their college experience.
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"It's a little bittersweet," said Mike Wang, 21, of Allendale, who earned an engineering degree. "But I am really excited about all the doors that Princeton has opened for us and excited to see what's the next step."
In the keynote address, university President Christopher Eisgruber warned the graduates that they are entering a world that is in too many places "troubled and turbulent, fraught with disturbing amounts of anger, resentment and violence."
Politics in the United States has become increasingly polarized and Americans live in what might be considered ideological silos, Eisgruber said.
"The world that awaits you will be sometimes be frustrating and difficult," Eisgruber said. "But it is a world that needs your talents, your citizenship and your engagement."
The graduating seniors included Andrew Christie, the oldest of the governor and First Lady Mary Pat Christie's four children. He received a bachelor's degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
The governor, wearing a striped tie with Princeton's orange and black colors, watched the ceremony along with his family from seats near the front of Nassau Hall's lawn.
Last week, he said his son's graduation prompted him to reflect on his age.
"Once your first child is graduating from college there's really no debate," Christie, 53, said in a speech Thursday. "You are now old."
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