WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY TO HOLD MID-YEAR COMMENCEMENT ON JANUARY 26

William Paterson University in Wayne will celebrate its mid-year commencement on Sunday, January 26, 2003 at 1 p.m. in the Rec Center on campus. In the event of snow or severe inclement weather, the ceremony will be held on Monday, January 27 at 7 p.m.

Leonard Harris, the University’s Visiting Distinguished Scholar for the 2002-2003 academic year, will be the commencement speaker. The ceremony marks the institution’s 176th commencement.

A total of 811 students are scheduled to receive degrees at the event. Bachelor’s degrees will be conferred on 692 undergraduates; 114 students will receive master’s degrees. All graduates will have completed their degree requirements between August and December, 2002.

President Arnold Speert will address the graduating class along with Mary Antoine of Irvington, senior class president. Gary Kirkpatrick, a professor of music and senior faculty member in the College of Arts and Communication, will lead the academic procession in the role of University marshal.
Graduates will be recognized individually by college and major as they proceed to the platform, where the college dean will award the diploma.

Harris is a prominent interdisciplinary scholar whose work encompasses American philosophical thought, the Harlem Renaissance, and African American history. A professor of philosophy at Purdue University, he is the founder and executive director of the Alain L. Locke Society, created to encourage the study and discussion of the work of Locke, an American philosopher and educator who played a central role in the Harlem Renaissance. Harris is also a leading figure in the "Philosophy Born of Struggle" movement and the author of numerous articles and book chapters and the editor of seven books, including "Racism," "The Critical Pragmatism of Alain Locke," and "Philosophy Born of Struggle: Anthology of Afro-American Philosophy from 1917." He was the recipient of a 1998-99 Fulbright Scholarship to Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and Makerere University in Uganda.

William Paterson University, one of the nine state colleges and universities in New Jersey, offers 30 undergraduate and 19 graduate programs through five colleges: Arts and Communication, Business, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Science and Health. Located on 370 hilltop acres in Wayne, the University enrolls nearly 11,000 students and provides housing for nearly 2,300 students. The institution’s 366 full-time faculty are highly distinguished and diverse scholars and teachers, many of whom are recipients of prestigious awards and grants from the Fulbright Program (25 scholars), the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the American Philosophical Society.

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1/13/03
For Further Information, contact:

Mary Beth Zeman, Director, Public Relations 973-720-2966