April 13, 2012
St.
John’s proudly announces that Steve Lavin, head men’s basketball
coach, will deliver the Commencement Address to the Class of 2012
during the University’s 142nd graduation exercises, to be held at
the Staten Island, NY, campus on Saturday, May 12, and the Queens,
NY, campus on Sunday, May 13.
The University also will honor the Very Rev.
Perry Henry, C.M., D.Min., William L. Collins ’76C and Patricia Ann
Norris McDonald during graduation exercises at the Queens
campus.
Lavin is responsible for the men’s basketball
team’s resurgence after the program’s return to the NCAA tournament
and 20-plus-win season in 2011. After battling prostate cancer this
past year, he is free of the disease and thankful that his
condition was diagnosed early by his medical team at New York’s
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
“Steve Lavin has a great affinity with our
student body and is a popular choice for this year’s Commencement
Ceremonies,” said Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M., President of St.
John’s University.
A member of St. John’s Board of Trustees,
William L. Collins will receive the degree of Doctor of Commercial
Science, honoris causa. Collins is founder, CEO and chief
investment officer of Brencourt Advisors, LLC. Since 2001, the
company has been engaged in fund management on a global basis as
well as investment strategies dealing with merger arbitrage, credit
opportunities and event-driven activities. Collins, a 1976 graduate
of St. John’s, and his wife, Lesley, have served as co-chairs of
the University’s annual President’s Dinner.
Patricia Ann Norris McDonald, mayor of Malverne, NY, will
receive the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Medal. Her husband, Steven, is
a former New York City police officer who was paralyzed in 1986 by
a gunshot wound he received in the line of duty. They overcame this
personal tragedy to launch a worldwide crusade for peace and
forgiveness. Like Mother Seton, McDonald is a role model for women
everywhere who, as wives and mothers, find the grace, faith and
courage to live remarkable lives.
The Very Rev. Perry Henry, C.M., D.Min., will
receive the degree of Doctor of Sacred Theology, honoris
causa. He is the provincial superior of the Western Province
of the Congregation of the Mission in the U.S.A. He is the former
assistant provincial of the Southern Province (2004-2008) and
former pastor of St. Joseph Parish, New Orleans. Fr. Henry also
served on DePaul University’s Board of Trustees (1995-2000).
“Bill, Patricia and the Very Rev. Henry
are individuals that have given their lives to serve the greater
good in their communities,” said Fr. Harrington. “We are honored
that they have accepted our invitation to highlight what will be a
memorable 142nd graduation celebration this year for our
students, their families and the faculty and administration at St.
John’s.”
QueensCommencement: Sunday, 10
a.m., May 13, 2012
(Procession of graduates, faculty and honored
guests begins at 9 a.m.)
Undergraduate and
Graduate Commencement
- Approximately
2,300+ graduates will receive their degrees at this ceremony and
more than 19,000 family, friends, administrators and students will
attend.
Staten
IslandCommencement: Saturday, 10 a.m., May 12,
2012
(Procession of graduates, faculty and honored
guests begins at 9:45 a.m.)
Undergraduate and Graduate Commencement
- Approximately
400+ undergraduate and graduate students will receive degrees at
this ceremony and more than 2,000 family, friends, administrators
and students will attend.
Interested media can contact Dominic Scianna,
Assistant Vice President for Media Relations at St. John’s
University: (718) 990-6185; sciannad@stjohns.edu.