Nasser Ibrahim Al-Rashid, a world-renowned businessman and engineer whose philanthropic efforts have supported endeavors such as the construction of a hospital where children with cancer receive outstanding care free of charge, is congratulated by UM President Donna E. Shalala upon receiving an honorary doctor of science at December commencement.

The University of Miami’s newest alumni are entering a world that’s changing at breakneck speed, and technology—from smartphone apps that are rendering cash and credit cards obsolete to electronic chips that optimize automobile performance and lighting systems—will continue to be a driving force behind these changes.

Recognize the powerful forces transforming contemporary life, learn to lead them, and use the connections they spawn to give back: That, in a nutshell, was the advice that Arun Sarin, the Indian-born American executive who was chief executive officer of telecommunications giant Vodafone from 2003 to 2008, delivered to some 847 graduates at UM’s fall commencement ceremony, held December 13 at BankUnited Center.

With University of Miami President Donna E. Shalala looking on, Arun Sarin, the former CEO of telecommunications giant Vodafone, is hooded after receiving an honorary doctor of science.

Sarin, who entered the telecommunications industry at a time when cell phones weighed two pounds and provided just 30 minutes of talk per charge, was one of two distinguished luminaries to receive honorary doctor of science degrees at the exercise.

Nasser Ibrahim Al-Rashid, a world-renowned businessman and engineer whose philanthropic efforts have benefited humanitarian programs around the world, including research and clinical activities at UM’s Miller School of Medicine, was the other. Rashid recently donated $10 million to UM’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute to establish an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to eradicating blinding injuries and lethal orbital malignancies.

Both Rashid and Sarin are parents of UM graduates.

“At a macro level, the world is very interconnected and will become more interconnected,” Sarin told graduates at the Thursday ceremony, noting that events in other countries such as Brazil and China impact the United States.

With their newly minted degrees awarded, graduates celebrate what commencement speaker Arun Sarin called “an important milestone in the journey of life.”

While people thought that the financial crisis would be localized, “as we know, it spread across the world,” Sarin said. “The main point is that we are interconnected.”

Technology, Sarin told graduates, is “changing before our eyes.” Broadband service will soon be available in every corner of the world, he noted. “We will have access, in real time, to money, credit, and our assets so that we feel more secure,” and in the health care industry, information will be sent remotely to doctors.

“Lead the change and help write the rules,” Sarin urged graduates.

With administrators, deans, faculty and staff, and family and friends looking on, he also told the audience to work hard, travel the world, address pressing problems such as global climate change and poverty, and “leave the world a better place” by volunteering and giving back.