On Saturday, May 10 at 10 a.m., the College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE), 2 Convent Road, Morristown, New Jersey, will hold its 106th Commencement exercises in a tent on the front lawn of campus. During the ceremonies, 259 undergraduate students and 219 graduate students are expected to receive their degrees. With 478 graduating men and women* receiving degrees, this year’s is the largest graduating class in CSE history.

 

For more information on this year’s CSE 106th Commencement exercises, visit www.cse.edu/commencement. 

 

Founder and Artistic Director of the National Theatre Workshop of the Handicapped Brother Rick Curry: Speaks, Receives CSE Honorary Degree

CSE welcomes Founder and Artistic Director of the National Theatre Workshop of the Handicapped (NTWH) Brother Rick Curry to campus to speak at this year’s Commencement exercises. A vowed Jesuit brother for nearly five decades, Brother Rick’s religious life and professional career express unwavering dedication and creative commitment to enriching the lives of persons with disabilities through artistic expression.

 

Brother Rick Curry is this year’s CSE Commencement speaker. 

 

Born with a challenging physical disability, Brother Rick decided early in life that an imperfect body could not hinder him from realizing his dreams. In 1977, he founded the NTWH, a non-profit organization that provides theatrical training for adults with physical disabilities to help them to use their creative talents in the fields of the arts.

 

As a tireless advocate and a leading authority on the disabled and theatre, Brother Rick is a guest lecturer and published author invited often to national and international educational seminars and events. Trained in food preparation to serve his Jesuit confreres, Brother Rick has authored two successful cookbooks: The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking and The Secrets of Jesuit Soupmaking, and opened a professional bakery where he imparts life skills and career opportunities to persons with disabilities. Book royalties and bakery proceeds all go to benefit NTWH.

 

A graduate of New York and Villanova Universities, Brother Rick has been the recipient of several awards. He was honored by former President George H. W. Bush with the Distinguished Service Award of the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities and also received the President’s Award of the National Council on Culture and Arts. He was named one of the top 100 Irish-Americans of 2003 by Irish America Magazine, and in 2005 he was awarded the New York Post Liberty Medal for Lifetime Achievement.

 

In addition to being this year’s Commencement speaker, Brother Rick will also receive a Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa from the College in recognition of his personal and professional accomplishments and in appreciation of his devotion and commitment to improving the quality of life for the physically disabled.

 

Duffy, Burns Receive Honorary Degrees

 

In addition to Brother Rick, Joseph Duffy of West Milford, N.J., Executive Director of Catholic Family & Community Services and executive secretary of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Paterson, and Sister Jacqueline Burns, of Morristown, N.J., Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of St. Joseph’s Healthcare System and President Emerita of the College of Saint Elizabeth, will both receive CSE Honorary Degrees on Saturday, May 10 on campus. Mr. Duffy will receive a Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa and Sister Jacqueline is to receive a Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa.

 

Mr. Duffy, a graduate of Seton Hall University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a graduate of William Paterson University with a Master of Arts in Special Education with a concentration in Mental Retardation, has improved the quality of life for thousands of disadvantaged persons. Mr. Duffy has managed a Catholic Charities system of 81 locations, more than 900 employees and 1,000 volunteers. His charge includes the Paterson Diocese’s Departments of Disaster Response, Migrant Ministry, Parish Nursing, Catholic Relief Services, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, five incorporated agencies including the Department for Person with Disabilities, the Father English Community Center, the Hispanic Information Center, Hope House, and Straight and Narrow, Inc.

 

He has been affiliated with the College as adjunct faculty member in the departments of Business Administration and Sociology, and he was a member of the faculty from 1998 to 2001 in the Graduate Program in Health Care Management.

 

Seen by many as a visionary leader, Sister Jacqueline Burns is respected both for her intellectual acumen and for her compassion and devotion to the poor. In 2000, Sister Jacqueline took over the reins of St. Joseph’s, overseeing the successful integration of five distinct facilities and programs in Paterson, Wayne, Cedar Grove and Totowa into a prominent and vibrant health care network, headquartered at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson.

 

She served as the fifth president of CSE for 16 years, during which a number of new majors were developed, the Center for Theological and Spiritual Development was established, the Adult Undergraduate Degree was expanded, and the Graduate Degree Program was launched.

 

Sister Jacqueline has served on the New Jersey State Board of Higher Education and was appointed in 1995 to the Governor’s Task Force on Restructuring Higher Education. She has held elected office on the Boards of Directors of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey. She is a founding member and first chairperson of the New Jersey College and University Coalition on Women’s Education, and has served on the Board of Trustees of Chestnut Hill College, Saint Michael’s College and Good Samaritan Hospital.

 

Student Speakers Featured; Student Award Given

 

Two students will speak at this year’s Commencement. Odette Barraque, ’08, of Pompton Plains, N.J., B.A. in Early Childhood/Elementary Education and Spanish, will represent the Women’s College with her speech entitled, “Who Am I Today?”  Lisa H. Gerardi, ’08, of Randolph, N.J., M.A. in Theology, will represent the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies with her speech entitled, “Our Created Path.”

 

Another annual highlight of Commencement will be the presentation of the Sister Hildegarde Marie Mahoney Award for General Excellence to a student who will be named during the ceremonies. The award recognizes high moral character and leadership excellence. It is named for one of CSE’s most distinguished alumnae who served as president of the College from 1952 to 1971. The name of this year’s recipient will be announced at Commencement.

 

*as of April 21, 2008.