FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2003
CONTACT: Tom McLaughlin
Office of University Relations
908-737-NEWS (6397)
E-mail: news@kean.edu
Kean University to Hold Graduate Commencement Ceremony at NJPAC
UNION, N.J. - The Kean University Nathan Weiss College of Graduate Studies will hold its Commencement ceremonies on Wednesday, May 7, at 7 p.m. at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located at One Center Street in Newark, N.J. More than 650 graduate students are expected to receive their degrees.
This will be the first year that Kean will hold a separate ceremony for those earning graduate degrees. "Highlighting this level of study as a unique entity of the University certainly showcases Kean's growth in higher education across so many disciplines," said Dr. Kristie Reilly, associate dean of the Nathan Weiss College of Graduate Studies and associate professor of neuroscience in the graduate biotechnology program.
The ceremony will be held off campus and during the evening, as the University was faced with the challenge of combining the incredible growth in graduate programs with the reality that many students work during the day. "Holding the graduate college Commencement during the evening at the state-of-the-art facilities at NJPAC is a perfect match," Reilly said. "We can now acknowledge the achievement of our students at a more convenient time with respect to their schedules, while taking advantage of the spacious surroundings at NJPAC, which offers a more elaborate and larger celebration for family and friends."
The featured Commencement speaker will be Linda Dennery,
who has served as president and publisher of the Newark-based The Star-Ledger,
New Jersey’s largest newspaper, since 1999. Dennery has served the
newspaper-publishing industry by sitting on the Board and Foundation Board
of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association. She also currently sits
on the boards of the North American Council for Accreditation for Children
and Family Services, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and the Liberty
Science Center. She was granted an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters
(L.H.D.) from Kean in 2001.
Edward O. Leida, executive vice president and group design director for
W magazine, will be bestowed with a Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.)
from the University. Leida, who graduated from Kean with a Bachelor of
Fine Arts degree in 1983, leads the creative team responsible for the
design of W, as well as working extensively with Women’s
Wear Daily and other trade publications of the New York City-based
Fairchild Publications, Inc.
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