NJCU to Graduate 1,779 on May 24

Business Legend Josh S. Weston to Receive Honorary Degree

Presidential Medallion for National Education Leader Dr. Kim Hunter Reed

New Jersey City University (NJCU) will award 1,779 graduate and undergraduate degrees at its commencement ceremony on Wednesday, May 24.  Degrees will be conferred at one ceremony, which will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the Prudential Center in Newark. The ceremony may be viewed live at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grWxTp_J3lE.

An honorary doctorate will be presented to Josh S. Weston, honorary chairman and former CEO of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP). Mr. Weston leads numerous non-profit boards and business councils and supports arts, education, and humanitarian efforts globally. [See bio sketch below.]

The Presidential Medallion will be awarded to Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education. Dr. Reed recently served in the Obama administration as deputy undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Education, where she led post-secondary diversity and inclusion work and supported strong student- and outcomes-focused policies and aggressive national outreach efforts. [See bio sketch below.]  

Undergraduate and graduate degree candidates in NJCU’s William J. Maxwell College of Arts and Sciences, Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education, College of Professional Studies, and the School of Business will participate in one commencement ceremony. 

Undergraduate degrees will be conferred upon 1,363 students: 539 bachelor of arts degrees, 18 bachelor of fine arts degrees, five bachelor of music degrees, 601 bachelor of science degrees, and 200 bachelor of science in nursing degrees.

Graduate degrees will be conferred upon 416 students. Doctor of Education degrees in Educational Technology Leadership will be awarded to 13 candidates. Doctor of Science degrees in civil security, leadership, management and policy will be awarded to three doctoral candidates.  Graduate degrees will be conferred upon:188 master of arts degrees, 73 master of arts in teaching degrees, 35 master of business administration degrees, five master of fine arts degrees, six master of music performance degrees, 86 master of science degrees, and seven professional diplomas in school psychology.

Commencement Order of Exercises

Dr. Sue Henderson, NJCU president, will preside over the commencement ceremony.  Rafael Perez, Esq., chair of the NJCU Board of Trustees, will convey greetings from the trustees.

Senior Class President Horzy Genao of West New York will deliver the Student Reflection on behalf of the graduates.

TV, film, and stage actress Mary Bellacosa Looram ’61 of New York City will deliver the Welcome to Alumni.

The Presidential Medallion will be presented to Dr. Reed by Dr. Henderson.

President Henderson will then confer the doctor of humane letters degree upon Mr. Weston.  Remarks will be delivered by Mr. Weston.

Dr. Sue Henderson will give the President’s Charge to the Graduates.

The deans of the University’s three Colleges and the School of Business will present degree candidates: Dr. João Sedycias, dean of the William J. Maxwell College of Arts and Sciences; Dr. Deborah Woo, interim dean of the Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education and the College of Professional Studies; and Dr. Bernard McSherry, dean of the School of Business.

Dr. Henderson will then confer the degrees. Students will individually accept their diplomas.

Biographical Sketch of Presidential Medallion Recipient Dr. Kim Hunter Reed

Dr. Reed was confirmed as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education on March 7, 2017.

A former Louisiana higher education official, Dr. Reed most recently served in President Obama’s administration as deputy undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Education, leading postsecondary diversity and inclusion work, supporting strong student and outcomes focused policies and aggressive national outreach efforts. She also led the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Prior to serving in the administration, Reed was a principal at HCM Strategists LLC, a public policy and advocacy consulting firm in Washington, D.C., focused on advancing effective solutions in health and education.

Dr. Reed has extensive higher education and government experience. She chaired Louisiana's higher education transition team in 2015 and has served as Louisiana's state policy director. She previously served as chief of staff for the Louisiana Board of Regents and executive vice president of the University of Louisiana System.

Previously, Dr. Reed served on the faculty at Southern University in Baton Rouge and was executive assistant to the president and interim vice president of student affairs at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond.

She received a doctorate in public policy from Southern University, as well as a master’s of public administration and a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Louisiana State University.

She has received numerous honors, including Louisiana Role Model, Baton Rouge Chapter of LINKS, Inc.; LSU Alumna of the Year, Public Administration Institute; and Mom of the Year, Jack and Jill of America, Baton Rouge Chapter. Dr. Reed has been featured in Daughters of Men, a national publication highlighting outstanding African American women and their fathers.

Biographical Sketch of Honorary Degree Recipient Josh S. Weston

Mr. Weston, honorary chairman of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) retired as chairman of the corporation in 1998. He had served as chief executive officer, 1982-1996, and as chief operating officer, 1970-1982. Previously, he had been chief operating officer of J. Crew, Inc., 1960-1970.

During Mr. Weston’s tenure at ADP, 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.

Today, he 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).

He is a past chair of the NJ Cultural Trust, Mountainside Hospital, NJ Business Roundtable, Sy Sims Business School, and the United Nations Association.

A veteran, Mr. Weston served in the United States Navy during the Korean War, 1952-1953.

Mr. Weston earned a bachelor of science in economics magna cum laude from the City College of New York, and a master of arts in economics from the University of New Zealand, where he was a Fulbright Scholar. He holds honorary doctoral degrees from City College of New York, Stevens Institute, Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Montclair State University, and Yeshiva University.