The first graduate of St. John’s McNair Scholars Program to earn a
Ph.D. delivered the keynote address at a special ceremony on the
Queens campus honoring the program’s 2011 graduating seniors.
Patricia G. Lespinasse ‘02C shared her experiences at the annual
pre-Commencement ceremony, held on May 3 in the D’Angelo
Center Ballroom. The senior McNair
Scholars will receive their undergraduate degrees with their
classmates at the University’s Commencement Exercises on May 14 (Staten Island campus)
and May 15 (Queens
campus).
“We
are especially pleased to have Patricia as this year’s keynote
speaker,” said
Andre McKenzie, Ed.D., Director of the McNair Scholars Program
and Vice President for Academic Support Services at St. John’s.
“The academic success she has achieved is a true testament to the
mission and goals of the McNair Program.”
Established by the U.S. Department of Education in 1989, the
Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program is named for the
African-American engineer, scientist and astronaut who perished in
the 1986 Challenger accident. The federally-funded program, which
has been at St. John’s since 1999, encourages first-generation,
income-eligible students to pursue graduate school.
St. John’s focus on academic excellence, faculty
mentors and undergraduate research is an added advantage for McNair
Scholars, Dr. McKenzie noted. “Research is a significant component
of the McNair Scholars Program,” he said. “Since so much of the
students’ success is rooted in research activity, they absolutely
benefit from their work with St. John’s professors — faculty
engagement is what makes the difference.”
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