Comedy, special guests, and the end of the Lee Berk era. Those are some of the reasons that the 2004 Commencement weekend will be one of the most unusual ones we've seen around here in a while.

The college will never have another president like the highly respected Lee Eliot Berk, the man who has led the college for 25 years through a period of extraordinary growth and change. President Berk's retirement means that this year's commencement will be his final one, and therefore, an occasion not without some sadness and reminiscing. But, true to Berklee form, it will also be a time of jovial celebration and improvisational forward motion, thanks to the presence of this year's commencement speaker, Bill Cosby, and scheduled performances by alumni Abe Laboriel and Lalah Hathaway at the commencement concert.

Bill Cosby (left) and Berklee College of Music President Lee Eliot Berk, seen at last fall's American Drummers Achievement Awards. Farnsworth Blalock Photography

And then there's the 730 students who will be collecting diplomas this year, the largest and most diverse class ever to emerge from Berklee. Among the class of 2004 are graduates from 57 different countries.

Graduation weekend begins with concert Friday night, featuring performances by several student groups: the Jazz/Rock Ensemble, the Rainbow Band, the Reverence Gospel Ensemble, and Syncopation, a jazz vocal group. Bassist Abe Laboriel '72 and vocalist Lalah Hathaway '90, will both return to the Berklee Performance Center and join the band on a few tunes. During the concert, students will also pay tribute through music to Bill Cosby and Lee Berk, both of whom will receive honorary doctor of music degrees during the Saturday ceremony. The concert, which is open to graduates and their families only, will feature compositions associated with several prior Berklee honorees, including Arif Mardin, Bonnie Raitt, Andre Crouch, Nancy Wilson, and Al Kooper. Students will also perform a Bill Cosby TV medley.

When Cosby delivers the commencement address, he joins the elite company of other Berklee graduation speakers, including Duke Ellington, David Bowie, Steven Tyler, Sting, Bonnie Raitt, Billy Joel, and Pat Metheny. Three weeks after graduation, Roger H. Brown, an early childhood educator and entrepreneur, will become Berklee's third president.

Be sure to return to this area often for more information and news coverage relating to commencement.