Monday Morning Update

May 18, 2009

Commencement 2009: Rain on Sunday meant the College celebrated its 58th Commencement in the Sports Complex. Despite the change in plans, the mood was upbeat as 568 students received their degrees before more than 2,000 family, friends and alumni. For a full report, visit here.

Speaker Fini: In her Commencement address, molecular geneticist M. Elizabeth Fini '76 explored Discovery and Invention in Science as a Metaphor for Life. In a double honor, tonight (Monday) Fini will receive the Outstanding Alumnus Award in recognition of her world-class research into blindness and eye disease. To read her address, visit here.

Student Voice: Student speaker Hector Rodriguez took as his theme Growth, Change, and Individuality. The psychology major from the Bronx also noted how the College provides graduates with the "tools to prosper in life and to grow individually. For more, visit here.

A Son's Promise: A week after Mother's Day, Glen Thompson gave his mom the best Mother's Day gift of her life - his diploma. That exchange between son and mother fulfilled a promise that Thompson made to his mom 30 years ago when he left Stonehill to take over the family business after his father died. For more on this story of an education postponed, visit here.

What's Next: What are our new grads doing now? We have profiles of students heading to Stanford Law School, working for Britain's Ministry of Defense, volunteering in Mexico, entering a nuclear medicine program, joining PricewaterhouseCoopers, and pursuing creative writing. Read these Class of 2009 profiles here.

Job Search: In this economy, graduates are also facing a tight job market. In a recent interview, Allie Simone, a history & communication double major seeking work in video production, reflected on the career challenges for graduating seniors. For more, visit here.

Class Gift: Even in this down economy, Class President Wes Evans & Vice President Caroline Constantino succeeded in rallying  their classmates to secure a $5,210 class gift. Thank you, Seniors.

Commencement Snapshot: To see our Commencement Photo Gallery, visit here.

Honorees: President Mark Cregan, C.S.C. '78 presented honorary degrees to Commencement Speaker M. Elizabeth Fini '76 (Doctor of Science), Fall River Bishop George Coleman (Doctor of Humane Letters), business man and philanthropist John Shaughnessy, Sr. (Doctor of Business Administration) and University of Villanova English Professor Robert Wilkinson '52. (Doctor of Literature).