But Bloomberg said he was vying for the opportunity to take part in a special tradition.
"I've always wanted to say this,” Bloomberg said before shouting "Boomer” into the crowd at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
"Sooner!” the crowd chanted back with great applause.
Bloomberg joked that he wasn't a top ranked college student — "I was the kind of student that made the top half of the class possible” — but he still had words of wisdom for the spring 2007 graduates.
"This is a complicated world,” he said. "No single person has all the skills to solve all the problems. Get rid of the words ‘I' and ‘me' and replace them with the words ‘you' and ‘us.'”
OU President David Boren presented Bloomberg with an honorary degree and called him "our newest Sooner.”
Boren said Bloomberg, one of the country's richest men, stabilized his city's budget and led New York to its strongest economy in decades after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Boren also praised the more than 5,000 graduates at commencement.
"We put our dreams in your hands,” he said. "You fill us with hope.”
Other honorary degrees were presented to James C. Day, former chief executive, president and chairman of the board of Noble Corp; Josephine W. Freede, Oklahoma City civic leader; Steven E. Moore, chairman of the board and chief executive of OGE Energy Corp.; Mary D. Nichols, Oklahoma City civic leader; and Marilyn Horne, award-winning opera singer.
Graduation ceremonies for individual colleges will be held today.
Degree candidates listen to University of Oklahoma President David Boren speak at the beginning of the commencement ceremony Friday at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. By NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN
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