Former ADP Chairman Josh Weston Presented with Honorary Degree

Josh S. Weston, the honorary chairman of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP), was presented with an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters at NJCU’s Commencement Ceremony on May 24. A longtime executive at ADP, Weston served the company as Chief Operating Officer (1970-1982) and Chief Executive Officer (1982-1996) before becoming Chairman from 1996 until his retirement in 1998. During his tenure, the company reported 164 consecutive quarters of double-digit growth in both revenue and earnings per share, an achievement never matched by any other publicly reporting company. Weston also currently serves on 15 pro bono boards, including Safe Water Network, International Rescue Committee, WNET/Thirteen, Liberty Science Center, New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), FIRST Robotics, Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Tel Aviv Foundation, Boys Town Jerusalem, and TEAM Charter Schools (KIPP). In his speech, Weston encouraged graduates to shun complacency and go beyond their best. In one example, he explained how an employee who works 39 hours a week and spends one additional hour a week searching for ways to be a better worker will ultimately be far more successful than the employee who works a 40-hour week without considering such matters. “In this case, 39+1 is greater than 40+0,” he explained. “In pole vaulting,” Weston continued, offering another example, “winners must first fail three times to exceed their best before their best is recognized. Whatever you do in life, it doesn’t hurt to try to do better, to try to do a little more. “I congratulate the 1,800 honorees in this audience,” he concluded. “And may you all go on to successful pole vaulting throughout life.”