The 108th Commencement, which took place on Saturday, May 15, 2010, was marked by several milestones for the graduates and the College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE), 2 Convent Road, Morristown, N.J. Among the 437 graduates were the first doctoral recipients in the history of the 110-year old College. Seven students received their Doctor of Education degree (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership. In addition, CSE awarded for the first time a Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology and Counseling to seven students and a Master of Arts in Justice Administration and Public Service to one student.
Under a tent the size of a football field pitched on the front lawn of the campus, 214 undergraduates and 223 graduate students were welcomed by CSE President Francis Raftery who said, “Graduates, you know and we know that you stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before you.”
She continued, saying, “Seventy-five percent of our students are the first in their family to receive a higher education degree. Ten percent are international students, but 100 percent have families that love and care about them. We welcome all of the families today.”
Commencement Speaker: Father Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M.
11th president of DePaul University in Chicago
For his outstanding contributions and leadership in higher education, the College of Saint Elizabeth awarded Reverend Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa.
Father Holtschneider, who became president of DePaul University in 2004, has a broad range of higher education experience. From 1996 to 1999, he was an administrator with St. John’s University, Queens, New York, first serving as assistant dean of Notre Dame College, then as associate dean of the university’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In 2000, he returned to his alma mater, Niagara University, Niagara, N.Y., as executive vice president and chief operating officer. He is the author of one book and co-author of another book and numerous articles on U.S. higher education and Catholic higher education. He is a frequent consultant and speaker on these topics. In January 2010, he was elected to chair the board of directors of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.
Father Holtschneider, a native of Detroit, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Niagara University and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Harvard University.
In his commencement address, Father Holtschneider encouraged the graduates to push through the challenges that lie ahead. Using the lives of Marie Ponsot, poet, and Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, foundress of the Sisters of Charity, as examples, he compared their responses to their lives’ challenges. After an early critical failure, Ponsot stopped writing poetry for decades, returning to it much later in her life. “She let an early disappointment almost stop her from a brilliant career,” said Fr. Holtschneider.
Fr. Holtschneider commented that St. Elizabeth’s tragedies and difficulties caused her to develop an inner sense of mission that changed her life. Those challenges made St. Elizabeth more responsive to caring for others in similar situations. Speaking directly to the graduates, Fr. Holtschneider, “I have hope for you because of who you are. You are graduates of the College of Saint Elizabeth. You have been taught at an institution that is more than information. It is purpose. It is mission. It is vision and heart. Take that with you. Take the friendships, relationships, knowledge, skills, vision, name of Elizabeth Ann Seton, and go out from here to be a blessing to the world. Live up to the vision of service that you saw here.”
About Honorary Degree Recipients
Sister Mary Canavan, S.C., B.A., A.M.
Former General Superior, Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth
CSE bestowed a Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa, degree to Sister Canavan for her dedicated and outstanding service to both education and health care.
Sister Canavan, a 1957 graduate of the College with a Bachelor of Arts in French, was named the Sisters of Charity assistant provincial for the Northern Province, then provincial in 1973. Six years later, she became assistant general superior and general superior from 1987 to 1995. Sister Canavan was a member of the CSE board of trustees from 1979 to 1995, serving first as its secretary, then as its chairperson. The next year, Sister Canavan served as the vice president for mission services at the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven, Conn. Her achievements have been recognized by both the Saint Raphael Healthcare System, which awarded her the Elizabeth Seton Award. She received this recognition for her work as chair of the hospital’s board and being the general superior of the Sisters of Charity during the congregation’s 135th anniversary.
Kathleen DiChiara, B.S., L.H.D.
President and CEO of Community FoodBank of New Jersey
DiChaira received a Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa, from the College in recognition of her community service and leadership.
DiChiara began her non-profit organization by distributing food and groceries from the trunk of her car in 1975. Today, Community FoodBank of New Jersey is one of the largest food banks in the nation with a staff of 144, more than 25,000 volunteers, and two warehouses. The food bank distributes more than 33 million pounds of food and groceries to more than 1,500 charities in 18 out of 21 New Jersey counties. DiChiara has received numerous awards, both local and national, including those from three presidents, three governors of New Jersey, and the Pope. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from the State University of New York at Oneonta, as well as seven honorary doctorates from colleges and universities in New Jersey and New York.
About Our Student Speakers
Aracely Tagliaventi, ’10, of East Orange, N.J., B.A. in Sociology and Justice Studies, Legal Track, Represented the Women’s College
In her speech entitled, “A Seat Before the World,” Tagliaventi said, “Whether you entered the College as a first time freshmen, transfer, resident, or commuter you have sat at the table of a legacy grounded in tradition. At the College’s first graduation, there were only four women. Today, graduates as you look around you may see that we are vast in numbers, diverse in ages, of different cultures, and are of opposite gender. We are the embodiment of the CSE mission. We have been grounded in a Catholic liberal arts tradition. The College of Saint Elizabeth for 100 and 10 years has prepared its students to sit at the table of the world. As we leave here today with tears in our eyes, memories in our hearts, and a degree in our hands let us always remember where our journey began.”
Sandra Ooms, ’10, of Vernon, N.J., B.S. in Nursing
Represented the Adult Learners
In her speech entitled, “Our CSE Educational Journey,” Ooms told her fellow graduates, “I wanted to come up here and give you a deep profound mysterious riddle that will guide us into the future, but after days of racking my brain, I realized the College of Saint Elizabeth has given us the foundation to go forward and demonstrate our new responsibilities. Through the College’s own values and mission, they have given us the knowledge to go forth as caring, respectful and ethical members of society, and the tools necessary to act on our social obligation to others and provide needed services to our communities. So, use all of the knowledge and skills the College has given us, coupled with your own values and mission, to go forward and demonstrate your new responsibilities as a servant leader. It is only through the use of our CSE education and participation that we can better the world for our future generations.”
Sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, New Jersey, the College of Saint Elizabeth enrolls more than 2,100 full- and part-time students in more than 25 undergraduate, 10 graduate and one doctoral degree programs. For information on other activities or programs, visit the College of Saint Elizabeth web site at www.cse.edu.
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