April 27, 2017
Here are the men and women who will deliver commencement addresses to area graduates – and receive honorary degrees – in the coming weeks, presented in no particular order. PhillyVoice will be adding to this list as colleges make additional announcements.
Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League and an advocate for economic empowerment, will deliver the commencement address at the Community College of Philadelphia on Saturday, May 6, 2017, at 10 a.m. in The Liacouras Center. A long-time advocate for individuals seeking meaningful employment pathways, Morial has been a powerful voice for economic inclusion. As leader of the National Urban League since 2003, he has served as a seasoned strategist for revitalizing communities and local economies. His energetic and skilled leadership has expanded the League’s work around an empowerment agenda, which is redefining civil rights in the 21st century with a renewed emphasis on closing the economic gaps between whites and blacks, as well as other communities of color, and rich and poor Americans. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in economics and African-American studies, he also holds a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., as well as numerous honorary degrees.
Eustace WolfingtonEustace Wolfington, president of Cabrini Asset Management in King of Prussia, will serve as commencement speaker and received an honorary degree during ceremonies on Saturday, May 13 at 2 p.m. on the campus' Connelly Green. The founder of the Half-a-Car company (HAC Group), he has made an extraordinary philanthropic commitment to Catholic institutions in the Philadelphia area. After spending two and a half years at the University of Notre Dame and then serving in the United States Army in Korea, Wolfington returned to Philadelphia and St. Joseph's University. He earned a bachelor of science degree.
Source/www.rosemont.edu
Honorary degrees also will be granted to two alumnae, Margo Barry Polett, a 1961 graduate of the Undergraduate College, and Ann E. Myhr, a 1997 and 1999 graduate of the Schools of Graduate and Professional Studies.
Madeline Bell
In addition to Bell, Cora Marie Billings, R.S.M., and alumnus J. Eustace Wolfington ’56 will be honored at the undergraduate ceremony with the honorary doctorate of humane letters. Billings, a member of the Religious Sisters of Mercy for 60 years, was the first African-American to join the order’s Mid-Atlantic Community in Merion in 1956. She has dedicated her life to teaching and advancing racial equality and social justice. Wolfington is a dedicated alumnus and longtime supporter of his alma mater who is known as an innovator in the retail automobile, car leasing and insurance industries. A prominent leader in Catholic philanthropy, Wolfington was a member of Saint Joseph’s University’s Board of Trustees from 1993 to 2002, and in 2004 received the Shield of Loyola, the University’s most prestigious alumni award.
Linda Cliatt-Wayman
Alumna Linda Cliatt-Wayman ’92 will deliver the address at the graduate and doctoral ceremony on May 20 at 3 p.m. on campus. She will receive the honorary doctorate of humane letters.A leader in education advocacy on behalf of children living in poverty, she spent 20 years as a special education teacher. As principal at Strawberry Mansion High School, Cliatt-Wayman received national attention for her role in turning around the school. After one year of her leadership, the school was removed from the federal Persistently Dangerous Schools List, and student achievement and test scores improved dramatically.
Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, entrepreneur and philanthropist, will speak to graduates of Villanova University at this year's commencement on May 19. He will receive an honorary doctor of humane letter degree. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Business School, his invention of the Bloomberg terminal, a computer software system for the financial service sector, led to the creation of his technology startup in 1981. The company has since gone global and grown to more than 19,000 employees in 73 countries. He was elected mayor of New York City in 2001 and served three terms. His Bloomberg Philanthropies supports initiatives in public health, education, the environment, the arts and government education.
The university also will present honorary degrees to Anne Welsh McNulty, the Rev. Wally Kasuboski, O.F.M. and Irwin Medway.
Dick Vermeil
School Reform Commission nominee Estelle Richman, a former secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, will receive a doctorate of laws. Richman’s honorary degree will further solidify Temple’s connections to the School Reform Commission — which has two seats filled by current Temple employees. Governor Tom Wolf nominated Richman in October to fill the SRC’s empty seat, but she is still waiting for the state senate to confirm the nomination.
Joan Semmel will address the class of 2017 at commencement on May 12 at 3 p.m. in the Historic Landmark Building, 118 N. Broad St. A feminist painter, professor, and writer, Semmel was born and raised in New York City, where she graduated from Cooper Union and Pratt Institute. She began as an abstract painter but is best known for the large-scale nude self-portraits she has been making since the 1970s. She has long been involved in the feminist movement and feminist art groups devoted to gender equality in the art world. Semmel's works are found in museum collections across the country, and she is professor emeritus of painting at Rutgers University.
Anne Minich, whose dexterous drawings and meticulously painted constructions investigate the consistency and the truth of human duality, ambiguity, and multiplicity, will receive the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award. Minich, who attended PAFA in 1954 and 1955, is known for her abstract, mixed-media paintings on wood that are often inspired by architectural elements. She refers to them as "painting/constructs" and incorporates intentionally ordinary and mundane found objects into her work.
Lorraine Riesenbach, co-founder and director of the Artists' House Gallery in Philadelphia, will receive the 2017 Alumni Service Award. She and her husband Marvin ran the gallery in Philadelphia's Old City neighborhood for 22 years before retiring in 2013. Riesenbach, who received her certificate from PAFA in 1991, has helped many emerging young artists exhibit in a gallery.
Maria RodaleMarie Rodale, CEO and chair of Rodale Inc., America’s largest independent, family-owned publisher, will deliver the commencement address on Saturday, May 13, 2017. A third-generation Rodale to take the reins of the family business headquartered in Emmaus, she oversees a global business with more than 700 employees and partners around the world in 70 countries. Some of Rodale’s titles include Women’s Health, Men’s Health, Running Times, Runner’s World, Bicycling and Prevention. 
John MaedaJohn Maeda, global head of computational design and inclusion at Automattic, the parent company of Jetpack, WooCommerce, Longreads and WordPress.com, will address the class of 2017 at Drexel University’s commencement on June 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park. Maeda, who will receive a doctor of humane letters degree, is a major catalyst behind the national movement to transform STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — into STEAM — science, technology, engineering, arts and math.
Steven Van ZandtSteven Van Zandt, legendary musician, actor, and human rights activist, will address graduates during commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 14, 2017, at 10 a.m. in High Point Solutions Stadium on Rutgers' Busch Campus in Piscataway, New Jersey. Perhaps best recognized as a guitarist and influential member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and for his portrayal of Silvio Dante in HBO’s The Sopranos, Van Zandt will receive an honorary doctor of fine arts degree.
Harvey MakadonHarvey J. Makadon, a physician and tireless advocate for the poor, the homeless, patients living with HIV, and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community, will receive an honorary doctor of science degree. As director of education and training programs at the Fenway Institute and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, he continues to teach health care providers across the nation how to better serve the LGBTQ and HIV communities and improve their access to quality care.
U.S. Sen. Cory BookerCory A. Booker, Democratic U.S. senator from New Jersey, will address graduates during commencement on May 15, 2017 at 10:15 a.m. at Franklin Field. A graduate of Stanford University, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees and played varsity football, he is an advocate for criminal justice reform and community empowerment. A Rhodes Scholar, Booker has a graduate degree from the University of Oxford, Queen’s College, and a J.D. from Yale Law. He moved to Newark and started a nonprofit organization to provide legal services for low-income families and tenants seeking to improve living conditions. He then served on Newark City Council and was elected the Newark mayor.
HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS
Isabel Allende, writer, journalist, and women's rights activist, will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree and the Presidential Medal of Freedom; Clara Franzini-Armstrong, emerita professor of cell and developmental biology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, will received an honorary doctor of sciences degree; Terry Gross, host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air on NPR, will received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree and the National Humanities Medal; Ada Sue Hinshaw, inaugural director of the National Institute of Nursing Research, NIH, and groundbreaking researcher in the science of nursing, will receive an honorary doctor of sciences degree; Robert P. Moses, founder and president of The Algebra Project, and educator and civil rights champion, will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree; and Paul Muldoon, poet and Howard G.B. Clark '21 University Professor in the Humanities at Princeton University, and poetry editor at The New Yorker, will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.
Sr. Rosemary DonleySister Rosemary Donley, Ph.D., APRN, FAAN will address graduates and receive the Immaculata Medal at the commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 21, at 10 a.m. Donley, whose work to improve the lives of the elderly, immigrants, veterans, children, people with disabilities or mental illness, and victims of violence, is raising awareness of national social justice issues. She is a member of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill. Donley was dean of nursing, then executive vice president and COO of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. In 2009, she joined Duquesne University School of Nursing where she holds the Jacques Laval Chair for Justice for Vulnerable Populations.
Carla Hayden
Dr. Carla D. Hayden, the first woman and the first African-American to lead the Library of Congress, will address graduates and receive an honorary degree at commencement ceremonies for the College of Arts and Sciences on Wednesday, May 17 at 6 p.m. Hayden was sworn in as the 14th Librarian of Congress on September 14, 2016. Nominated to the position by President Barack Obama in February 2016, she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 13, 2016.
Steve Selfridge
James Sandman
James J. Sandman, Esq., president of Legal Services Corp., will deliver the commencement address for the Rutgers Law School at Camden on Thursday, May 18 at 2 p.m. He has been president of the Legal Services Corp. since 2011. He practiced law with Arnold & Porter LLP from 1977 to 2007 and served as the firm’s managing partner from 1995 to 2005. From 2007 to 2011, he was general counsel for the District of Columbia Public Schools. He was named one of the “90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years” by the Legal Times in 2008.
Dr. Marcel Pop
Dr. Sherman Leis
All Rutgers University – Camden graduation ceremonies will be held at the BBBT Pavilion in Camden.
David L. Cohen
Dan MullenDan Mullen ’94, the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldog football team, will address graduates during commencement on Sunday, May 14 at 2 p.m. He will receive the honorary doctor of humane letters degree. Earning his first head coaching opportunity at Mississippi State in 2009 and against nationally-ranked competition, he has seven straight bowl games under his belt. Mullen is credited with making classroom achievement a priority. He produced a school-record 31 student-athletes on the 2016 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll, which ranked fifth in the league.
Jack MarkellJack Markell, who completed his second term as the 73rd governor of Delaware earlier this year, will speak at commencement at 9 a.m., Saturday, May 27, in Delaware Stadium. After a career in the private sector, including a top leadership position at Nextel, Markell served three consecutive terms as state treasurer. Elected governor in November 2008 and re-elected in 2012, his focus was on growing the economy, creating jobs, strengthening schools, improvements to the environment and protecting taxpayers. The son of a distinguished UD professor, the late William Markell, he grew up in Newark and graduated from Newark High School. He holds an undergraduate degree in economics and development studies from Brown University and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
K. Neil Van Dine ’88, founder and country director for Haiti Outreach Inc., will speak to graduates and receive an honorary degree during commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 21, 2017, at 10 a.m on Science Field.
The following also will receive honorary degrees: Karen A. Rightmire ’69, trustee emerita and president of the Wyomissing Foundation; Dr. Sun Hye Hwang, past president, Sookmyung Women’s University in South Korea; and Bishop Stephen Gill Spottswood (posthumously), Schuylkill College, class of 2017.
Wanda AustinWanda Austin '75, an engineer who recently retired as head of one of the nation's leading aerospace research centers for defense-related space programs, will deliver the commencement address on May 13. President and CEO of California-based Aerospace Corp., she leads efforts to attract more women and minorities to careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). She was appointed by President Barack Obama as an adviser to the president and White House on matters of science and technology in 2015. In 1975, she was among the first African-American women to graduate from the college, which presented her an honorary degree in 2012.
Evelyn FarkasEvelyn Farkas '89, who served from 2010 to 2015 as the Pentagon's top official overseeing military relations with Russia and Ukraine, will receive an honorary degree. She is now a national security analyst for NBC/MSNBC. Farkas, who earned master's and doctoral degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, writes on international affairs, and is author of the 2003 book, "Fractured States and U.S. Foreign Policy: Iraq, Ethiopia, and Bosnia in the 1990s." As U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Farkas advised three secretaries of defense on Russian and Ukrainian policy. 
Donald GrahamDonald Graham, former publisher of The Washington Post, will receive an honorary degree. Eighty years after his grandfather, Eugene Meyer, bought the newspaper at a bankruptcy sale in 1933, Graham sold the newspaper in 2013 and became chairman of Graham Holdings Co., which comprises a range of companies in diversified business sectors, including media properties such as the online magazine Slate. He co-founded TheDream.Us for students who qualify under the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAMers), a national scholarship program launched in 2014 that has served more than 1,700 students.
Marie Harf
The following will be honored with honorary degrees at commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 13, on Roberts Hall Green on the campus:
Chimamanda AdichiChimamanda Ngozi Adichie is one of the most prominent African writers of her generation. Her Purple Hibiscus (2003) won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for first work. Her most recent book, Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, was published in March 2017. At age 19, Adichie left her native Nigeria for the United States, first to Philadelphia and Drexel University to begin her undergraduate work, which she completed at Eastern Connecticut State University. She earned a master's in creative writing from Johns Hopkins and a master's in African Studies from Yale. Her TED talks, including 2012’s notable "We Should All Be Feminists," are among the most-viewed of all time.
Yvon ChouinardYvon Chouinard is an American environmentalist and entrepreneur. A pioneering rock climber and lifelong outdoorsman, he forged a career promoting active and responsible human engagement with the natural world. Chouinard’s early ventures included selling climbing gear that he designed and produced himself to advance the techniques of “clean climbing” that avoid damage to rock faces. In 1973, Chouinard founded the company Patagonia. Since 1986, Patagonia has “tithed” a portion of its annual revenues to environmental groups.
The following will be honored with honorary degrees at commencement ceremonies at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 21, in Scott Outdoor Amphitheater on the campus.
David Gelber
John Goldman
Anna Deavere Smith
PhillyVoice will be updating this list of area commencement speakers in the coming weeks.
