BRISTOL, R.I., May 2007 – The Farrelly brothers made the graduates roar, but President Nirschel was not to be outdone at the Roger Williams University 2007 Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 19. In an entertaining ceremony, the comedic filmmaking duo imparted some unconventional wisdom and gave a student one of the best graduation gifts imaginable, and the graduates awarded President Nirschel with a standing ovation for his rendition of pop star Fergie’s hit “Glamorous.”

After being dubbed the “Doctors Farrelly” by President Nirschel (thanks to their honorary doctorates of fine arts), Peter and Bobby Farrelly offered students a couple of gems: (1) Don’t rob a bank—ever, (2) Try to avoid falling asleep at the wheel, and (3) Don’t drink a whole bottle of vodka, even if it’s the good stuff.

Throughout much of the speech, they advised those students with less-than-stellar academic records to dream big and take chances: “You can go in any direction you want,” Peter said. “So do the craziest thing. The thing closest to your heart. The thing you want to do more than anything.”

To culminate their humorous, heartfelt and largely ad-libbed speech, the brothers announced that they would randomly select a graduate to fly to Los Angeles and appear as an extra in their latest movie, “Heartbreak Kid,” with Ben Stiller. As the crowd hummed, Peter opened the Commencement program at the podium, randomly thrust his finger into a page and chose a name from the list of 930 graduates.

The lucky graduate? Katie Rebecca Francisconi, a psychology major from New London, Conn. The Farrellys said they’d fly her to Hollywood at the end of this week to appear in a beach scene that needed reshooting.

Long before the Farrellys took center stage, President Nirschel already had whipped the graduates into a frenzy when he donned sunglasses and treated the crowd to his version of “Glamorous.”

8220;You’ve been fabulous, glamorous, too wonderful for words,” President Nirschel said following his American Idol moment. “No class—I repeat—no class is better than this one.”

He acknowledged the many accomplishments and endeavors of the Class of 2007, including volunteering for more service hours than any prior class and establishing the most clubs and organizations in the University’s history. To read the President’s entire speech, click here. And to view the President's speech, click here; to view the Farrelly brothers' speech, click here.

New to the ceremony this year was the presentation of the President’s Core Values Medallions. President Nirschel recognized 12 students for their commitment to the University’s core values of love of learning as an intrinsic value; preparation for careers and future study; collaboration of students and faculty in research; commitment to community service; and appreciation of a global perspective.

This first class of President’s Core Values Medallion recipients included inspirational students such as Jeffrey A. Delgado, a business management major with muscular dystrophy who is starting a nonprofit to aid other disabled learners (pictured below, top), and John Peter Sofronas, a social and health services major and U.S. Navy medical corpsman who persevered to earn his degree despite being deployed twice during his studies (pictured below, bottom).

Faculty, staff and students will remember the day as one of the most entertaining Commencements ever, despite the drizzly rain and cold. For a list of all 930 graduates, click here.