By 8:30, there were no seats to be found, and many began looking for reserved rows--like the two reserved for press--and then adamantly refusing to budge.

One creative family of six got press credentials for the "Savannah Tribune," camping out in the press rows and proudly waving their passes. The Harvard News Office had bought the story that all six were working on a feature, following around a student from the beginning to end of the day.

Judging from the reaction that they greeted their "profilee" with, their article would probably never be written.

And as a reflection of modern times, some parents communicated with graduates via cell phones so that their sons and daughters could wave from a distance to camcorders and cameras.

After undergraduates and students from the University's graduate schools received their degrees, Rudenstine conferred honorary diplomas to this year's 11 honorary degree recipients.

Recipients included Nobel laureate, economist and Lamont University Professor Emeritus Amartya K. Sen, who was also the afternoon Commencement speaker.

"With a paramount concern for the worlds impoverished, he infuses economics with a passion for fairness," Rudenstine said of Sen. "His mission is freedom and community development, pointing the way to a better life for all."