The College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE) held its 104th Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 13, 2006 with approximately 398 men and women getting degrees including 217 undergraduates and 181 graduate students.

Photo Caption: CSE Class of 2006 (Photo by Kathy Cacicedo).  

The majority of CSE students were from New Jersey. Eight international students came from six countries including India, Japan, South Korea, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and the Virgin Islands. Other international students either have family origins or ethnicity from 11 additional countries and/or backgrounds specifically Zimbabwe, India, Cameroon, Belize, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Italy, Native American, and Puerto Rico. 
 

CSE graduate, Dr. Marilyn Fingerhut, ’64, of Alexandria, Va., was this year’s Commencement speaker and recipient of the Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa.  She spoke to students about “Leadership in the Global Village.” “We live in a global village, a world community. You are being called upon to live your lives so that you do make a difference for all of us on the planet,” Dr. Fingerhut said. “Today our vision is shaped by an array of global events: burning World Trade Towers, HIV/AIDS, bird flu, the shadow of Vietnam, and the presence of Iraq; but also by the fall of the Berlin Wall, the rise of the European Union and Asian economies, global trade and the interconnectedness of the information age. What happens on one continent influences the citizens of other continents…It is time now for you to go forth from this College to forge your future, as graduates of this institution and as citizens and leaders of our global community. It is time now to go out and save the world. This is a heavy burden and one that all of us share. Do your part to bring peace and prosperity. Make your personal and professional choices so that you advance compassionate globalism. Don’t delay.”
 

Dr. Fingerhut is a pioneer in the field of science. She was the first chief of staff of the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Until her retirement in October 2005, she was the international coordinator of NIOSH, and also served as coordinator of the National Occupational Research Agenda, which she was instrumental in developing. She has conducted groundbreaking research on dioxin, a category of the most toxic chemicals known to science, is an established champion of women’s workplace health issues, and has forged the way toward global occupational health risk assessment. “Dr. Fingerhut is living evidence of the merits of the science program at the College of Saint Elizabeth – where she earned her undergraduate degree in biology,” said Sister Francis Raftery, president of CSE.
 

Two students spoke at this year’s ceremony: Natalia Pinney, ’06, of Clifton, N.J., who received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education and Sociology spoke about “The Yellow Brick Road of Success,” while CSE School of Graduate and Continuing Studies’ student Dorothy Filipek, ’06, of Saddle Brook, N.J., who earned a Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership, delivered her speech entitled, “From Dreams to Destinies.”
 

Honorary degrees were also bestowed upon the following:

• Peter V. Mancuso of Morris Township, former mayor of Morris Township and board of trustee of the College. He became a member of the New York Stock Exchange in 1968 and remained a member until his retirement this spring.
• David Bixel, former president of Semple Bixel Associates. He guided the College’s $25 million Centennial Campaign and also brought the current New College Center Campaign (recently named the Annunciation Center) beyond the halfway point with $9.8 million raised. He died August 22 following an accident on Route 287 near South Plainfield. His wife Patti accepted his award, posthumously.
   

Another annual highlight of the College’s Commencement was the presentation of the Sister Hildegarde Marie Mahoney Award for General Excellence to Julie Ann Salthouse, ’06, of Millington, N.J. This award recognizes a student with high moral character and leadership excellence. The award is named for one of CSE’s most distinguished alumnae who served as president of the College from 1952 to 1971. Following graduation, Julie, who earned a B.A. in English, will be traveling to Poland this summer on a graduate internship through the Auschwitz Jewish Center called “A Bridge to Hope,” which teaches educational programs on Jewish cultures and spreading tolerance of all different racial and ethnic backgrounds.