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William Paterson University to Hold Commencement on May 9
--Johnnetta Cole, former president of Spelman College, to give commencement address William Paterson University in Wayne will hold its 171st commencement ceremony on Tuesday, May 9, 2000 at 10:30 a.m. on Wightman Field on campus. The rain date is Wednesday, May 10, also at 10:30 a.m. A total of 863 students are scheduled to receive degrees. Bachelor's degrees will be conferred upon 741 undergraduates; 122 students will receive master's degrees. Among the graduates will be the first four women to receive bachelor's degrees in women's studies from the University. All graduates will have completed their degree requirements between January and May, 2000. Johnnetta Cole, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, Women's Studies and African American Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, and former president of Spelman College, will be awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. Donald Payne, U.S. Representative from New Jersey's 10th Congressional District, and Sister Jane Frances Brady, executive director of Eva's Village in Paterson and former president of St. Joseph's Hospital in Paterson, will each receive honorary doctor of laws degrees. President Arnold Speert will address the graduating class along with Jones Pointdujour of Union, senior class president, who will deliver the statement for the Class of 2000. Graduates will be recognized by college and will proceed to the platform to be congratulated by the college dean. Receptions for students, faculty and guests will be held in Caldwell Plaza on campus following commencement activities. Alumni from the class of 1950, who graduated when William Paterson was called New Jersey State Teachers College at Paterson, will be present at the ceremony and attend a 50th reunion luncheon sponsored by the Alumni Relations Office. The Alumni Association's Young Alumni Chapter will host a Senior Send-Off reception on Monday, May 8 from 7 to 9 p.m. in Caldwell Plaza. Cole is one of America's leading educators,
anthropologists and advocates on issues of race, class and gender.
She made history in 1987 when she became the first African-American
woman to serve as president of Spelman College, Atlanta's historically
black liberal arts college for women. Her appointment spurred
nationwide media attention. In 1991, Glamour magazine named her
a "Woman of the Year," while Working Woman magazine
named her one of America's "Ten Women to Watch." In
1992, she was named to President Clinton's transition team as
coordinator of education, labor, and arts and humanities. Cole,
who holds a doctorate in anthropology Payne has represented New Jersey's 10th Congressional District since 1988. As a leading advocate of education, he has been instrumental in the passage of key legislation, including the Goals 2000 initiative to improve elementary and secondary schools, the National Service Act, and the Student Loan Bill. A member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the International Relations Committee, he is past chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and is a member of the Democratic Whip Organization. Brady assumed the position of executive director of Eva's Village in 1999 after 30 years at St. Joseph's Hospital in Paterson and 17 years as the institution's chief executive officer. A strong voice for urban economic development, she is treasurer of the Paterson Economic Development Corporation. Brady has won numerous honors, including New Jersey Monthly Magazine's New Jersey Pride Award and the Woman of the Year Award from the American Cancer Society. William Paterson University, one of the nine
state colleges and universities in New Jersey, offers 29 undergraduate
and 17 graduate programs through five colleges: Art and Communication,
Business, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Science
and Health. Located on 320 hilltop acres in Wayne, the university
enrolls approximately 10,000 students and provides housing for
nearly 2,000 students. The institution's 352 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 (24 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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