Commencement-at-a-Glance 2009

An estimated 11,433 graduates will receive degrees from Rutgers this year. They include approximately 7,663 baccalaureate degrees, 2,545 master’s degrees and 1,225 doctorates.

Location:   Voorhees Mall, College Avenue Campus, New Brunswick (Rain: Louis Brown Athletic Center, Livingston Campus, Piscataway)

Remarks:    Marc Eckō, one of the fashion industry’s most successful designers and entrepreneurs, and founder of Marc Eckō Enterprises, one of the world’s most recognizable clothing brands. Eckō attended Rutgers’ College of Pharmacy (now the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy). He will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

      Student Speaker: Key Jo Lee, Willingboro, Class of 2009, Douglass College, majoring in art history. Member, Phi Beta Kappa.

Honorary degrees:

      Besides Marc Eckō, Rutgers will present honorary degrees in New Brunswick to Faith Ringgold, renowned artist, author, teacher, social activist and humanitarian (Doctor of Letters); Theodore Walter “Sonny” Rollins, internationally acclaimed saxophonist and composer (Doctor of Fine Arts); and Dr. Philip G. Zimbardo, professor emeritus at Stanford University widely recognized for his scholarship and teaching in social psychology (Doctor of Science). Alfred C. Koeppe, CEO, Newark Alliance, a graduate of Rutgers-Newark and a member of the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni (2003), will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree and serve as speaker at the joint Newark College of Arts and Sciences/University College-Newark convocation.

General information:

      All undergraduate and graduate degrees are conferred at this ceremony. The Graduate School-New Brunswick will award 732 degrees. The Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology in New Brunswick (65 graduate degrees) will not hold a public ceremony. Schools and colleges holding additional convocations are listed in chronological order on the following pages.

NOTE: Estimated numbers of graduates are from the Office of the University Registrar. An estimated 520 graduates who have formally converted to the degree requirements for the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) from Douglass, Livingston and Rutgers Colleges or University College-New Brunswick, will attend the joint SAS-Rutgers College convocation.

IN NEW BRUNSWICK AND PISCATAWAY

EDWARD J. BLOUSTEIN SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND PUBLIC POLICY

Sunday, May 17, 1 p.m.

132 graduate degrees (85 undergraduate joint degrees are counted in their college totals)

Location: Nicholas Music Center, 85 George Street, Douglass Campus, New Brunswick

Speaker: U.S. Rep. Robert E. Andrews (D-Haddon Heights). Former adjunct professor, Rutgers School of Law-Camden.

SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND LABOR RELATIONS

Monday, May 18, 7 p.m.

100 graduate degrees (85 undergraduate joint degrees are counted in their college totals)

Location: College Avenue Gymnasium, 130 College Avenue, New Brunswick

Speakers: Members of the Class of 2009, with their programs and hometowns – Tania Monteiro, Master of Human Resource Management, president of Rutgers Society for Human Resource Management, Princeton; Lauren Dudzak, Master of Labor and Employment Relations, Butler, N.J.; August Schneeberg, Bachelor of Arts in Labor Studies and Employment Relations (Livingston College), Flanders, N.J.; William M. Dwyer, industrial relations manager, PSEG Services Corp., Newark; president, SMLR Alumni and Friends, Class of 1997.  

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

Monday, May 18, 7 p.m.

350 master’s degrees

Location: Louis Brown Athletic Center, Livingston Campus, Piscataway               

Speaker: Dr. Ira C. Colby, president, Council on Social Work Education and dean and professor, School of Social Work, University of Houston.

RUTGERS BUSINESS SCHOOL-NEWARK AND NEW BRUNSWICK

Tuesday, May 19, 2 p.m.

330 undergraduate joint degrees (recipients are also counted in their college totals)    

Location: Louis Brown Athletic Center, Livingston Campus, Piscataway

Speaker: Gerald H. Lipkin, chair, president and CEO, Valley National Bancorp and Valley National Bank, Wayne. Newark College of Arts and Sciences, Class of 1963.

MASON GROSS SCHOOL OF THE ARTS

Tuesday, May 19, 2:30 p.m.   

115 graduating seniors, 65 graduate degrees (20 Doctor of Musical Arts, 20 Master of Music and 25 Master of Fine Arts)                                      

Location: Nicholas Music Center, 85 George Street, Douglass Campus, New Brunswick

Speaker: Kristin Davis, actress, Class of 1987.

ROTC COMMISSIONING CEREMONY

Tuesday, May 19, 3 p.m.

Seven Air Force and eight Army second lieutenants to be commissioned

Location: Rutgers Student Center, Multipurpose Room, 126 College Avenue, New Brunswick

Speaker: Retired Brig. Gen. Bruce B. Bingham, U.S. Army; executive director, Capstone Valuation LLC, New York. Rutgers College, Class of 1968.

SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION, INFORMATION AND LIBRARY STUDIES

Tuesday, May 19, 5 p.m.

170 graduate degrees (600 undergraduate joint degrees are counted in their college totals)

Location: College Avenue Gymnasium, 130 College Avenue, New Brunswick        

Performance (in lieu of speaker): Queen’s Chorale.

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

Thursday, May 21, 9 a.m.

307 graduates (285 master’s, 22 doctorates)

Location: College Avenue Gymnasium, 130 College Avenue, New Brunswick

Speaker: Dr. Dorothy Strickland, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Professor of Education, Rutgers.

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Thursday, May 21, 9:30 a.m.  

450 graduates

Location: Louis Brown Athletic Center, Livingston Campus, Piscataway

Speaker: Dr. Joseph A. Miller Jr., executive vice president and chief technical officer, Corning Inc. Class of 1978.

DOUGLASS COLLEGE

Thursday, May 21, 10 a.m.    

571 graduates

Location: Antilles Field, Douglass Campus, New Brunswick

Speaker: Gwen Keyes Fleming, district attorney, DeKalb County, Ga. Class of 1990.

LIVINGSTON COLLEGE

Thursday, May 21, 1:30 p.m.  

750 graduates

Location: Louis Brown Athletic Center, Livingston Campus, Piscataway

Speaker: Robert Drucker, student general manager, WRLC, Class of 2009.

Joint Convocation

SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Thursday, May 21, 1:45 p.m.

520 graduates

RUTGERS COLLEGE

2,155 graduates

Location: Voorhees Mall, College Avenue, New Brunswick

Speaker: Mary L. Baglivo, CEO and chair of the Americas, Saatchi & Saatchi, New York. Member, Rutgers University Foundation Board of Overseers; chair, The Rutgers Fund; member, Hall of Distinguished Alumni (2008); Class of 1979.

Rain: Friday, May 22, 1:45 p.m., Voorhees Mall

ERNEST MARIO SCHOOL OF PHARMACY

Friday, May 22, 9:30 a.m.

250 Pharm.D. degrees

Location: College Avenue Gymnasium, 130 College Avenue, New Brunswick

Speaker: Rear Adm. Thomas J. McGinnis, chief, Pharmaceutical Operations Directorate, TRICARE Management Activity; assistant surgeon general, U.S. Public Health Service. Member, Board of Advisory Associates, EMSP; Class of 1977 (College of Pharmacy).

SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Friday, May 22, 10 a.m.

555 graduates

Location: Lawn near College Pond (“Passion Puddle”), George H. Cook Campus, New Brunswick

Speaker: Dr. Steven J. Mento, president, CEO, chair and co-founder, Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc., San Diego. Rutgers College (Class of 1974), Graduate School-New Brunswick (1976 and 1978).

Rain: Same day, 10:30 a.m., Louis Brown Athletic Center, Livingston Campus, Piscataway

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE COMMUNITY-NEW BRUNSWICK

Friday, May 22, 7 p.m.

680 graduates

Location: Louis Brown Athletic Center, Livingston Campus, Piscataway

Speaker: Rosalyn A. Metzger, attorney. Recipient, Rutgers University College Medal (2007) for service on the Task Force for Nontraditional Students; member, Dean’s Advisory Committee, University College Community. Class of 1989.

IN NEWARK

COLLEGE OF NURSING

Tuesday, May 19, 10 a.m.

505 graduates

Location: Golden Dome Athletic Center, 42 Warren Street

Speaker: P.K. Scheerle, RN, founder, former CEO and chair, American Nursing Services.

Joint Convocation

GRADUATE SCHOOL-NEWARK

Tuesday, May 19, 2 p.m.

229 graduates (including School of Criminal Justice doctoral recipients)

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND ADMINISTRATION

95 graduates

Location: Golden Dome Athletic Center, 42 Warren Street

Speaker: Jayne Anne Phillips, author, professor of English and director of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program at Rutgers-Newark.

SCHOOL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE   

Wednesday, May 20, 10 a.m.

24 master’s degrees (150 undergraduate joint degrees are counted in college totals)

Location: Golden Dome Athletic Center, 42 Warren Street

Speaker: Garry F. McCarthy, police director, city of Newark.

RUTGERS BUSINESS SCHOOL-NEWARK AND NEW BRUNSWICK     

Thursday, May 21, 10 a.m.    

583 graduate degrees and 275 undergraduate degrees

Location: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, One Center Street

Speaker: The Honorable Cory A. Booker, mayor, city of Newark.

Joint Convocation

NEWARK COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Thursday, May 21, 2 p.m.

505 graduates

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE-NEWARK    

100 graduates

Location: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, One Center Street

Speaker: Alfred C. Koeppe, CEO, Newark Alliance. Member, Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni (2003); Rutgers-Newark, Class of 1969.

SCHOOL OF LAW-NEWARK

Friday, May 22, 10 a.m.

242 graduates

Location: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, One Center Street

Speaker: The Honorable Freda L. Wolfson, U.S. District Court judge for the District of New Jersey. Douglass College, Class of 1976, Rutgers School of Law-Newark, Class of 1979.

IN CAMDEN

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS-CAMDEN

Thursday, May 21, 9 a.m.     

205 undergraduate degrees, 75 advanced degrees

Location: Susquehanna Bank Center, 1 Harbor Boulevard

Speaker: Joseph M. Rigby, president and CEO, Pepco Holdings Inc. Class of 1978.

SCHOOL OF LAW-CAMDEN

Thursday, May 21, 1 p.m.

225 graduates

Location: Susquehanna Bank Center, 1 Harbor Boulevard

Speaker: The Honorable Wilma B. Liebman, chair, National Labor Relations Board. 

Joint Convocation

CAMDEN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Thursday, May 21, 6 p.m.

490 graduates

GRADUATE SCHOOL-CAMDEN 

126 graduates

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE-CAMDEN    

132 graduates

Location: Susquehanna Bank Center, 1 Harbor Boulevard

Speaker: Dr. Abraham Abuchowski, co-founder, president and CEO, Prolong Pharmaceuticals Inc., Monmouth Junction, N.J. Camden College of Arts and Sciences, Class of 1970, Graduate School New Brunswick, class of 1975.