54TH COMMENCEMENT | MAY 2, 2020 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Jeremiah J. White, Jr. CHAIR Lydia Hernández Vélez, Esq. VICE CHAIR The Honorable James R. Roebuck, Jr. VICE CHAIR Chekemma J. Fulmore-Townsend ON BEHALF OF Community College of Philadelphia’s Board of SECRETARY Trustees and the College community, welcome to Commencement 2020. At this most important and joyous ceremony of the academic Ronald Bradley, Jr. year, we acknowledge our students' academic achievements and Hugh Patrick Clancy reaffirm the continuing vitality of our College. Rob Dubow Harold T. Epps The granting of degrees and certificates is celebrated through Deana Gamble long-standing traditions. It is a time to celebrate achievements and V. Steve Herzog reflect on the opportunities ahead. This year’s Commencement in Sheila D. Ireland particular celebrates the tenacity and resilience of our students as Sharon A. Jean-Baptiste, P. E. they navigated through unprecedented challenges to complete their Rosalyn J. McPherson education. More than half of the Class of 2020 graduated with honors, Mindy M. Posoff which is a major milestone that the College is proud to celebrate. Michael Soileau Commencement also recognizes our outstanding faculty and staff who EMERITUS TRUSTEES have devoted their time and energy to helping students achieve this Robert S. King (d.) significant milestone. Participation in the Commencement exercise is a Rhonda R. Cohen, Esq. momentous experience for graduates, as well as for families and friends who support students on their academic journey. It is a fitting finale to years of hard work and sacrifice. PRESIDENT’S CABINET Carol de Fries Congratulations to the 2020 graduating class. Thank you for choosing Josephine DiGregorio Community College of Philadelphia as your alma mater, and for joining Jacob Eapen us for this memorable and happy occasion. I wish you the best in your Samuel Hirsch, Ed.D. future endeavors. Shannon McLaughlin Rooney, Ph.D. David Thomas, Ed.D. Sincerely, Mikecia Witherspoon Mellissia Zanjani, Ph.D., CFRE Victoria Zellers, Esq. Donald Guy Generals, Ed.D. President 1 COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF PHILADELPHIA Academic Regalia THE COLORFUL REGALIA worn by academicians is steeped in tradition, dating back to the ecclesiastical garb of the Middle Ages. Adaptations from ecclesiastical to academic dress began in early European universities, which were founded by the church. University faculty and students wore the adapted robes for distinction and warmth. The University of Cambridge is cited as the first to use the academic gown. Representatives of American universities met in the early 1890s and agreed upon a standard style of academic attire. The Intercollegiate Code, revised in 1932 and again in 1959, is followed today by American colleges and universities, except for a few schools, which continue to use the styles of England. Gowns are traditionally black; however, some colleges and universities have authorized use of a color symbolic of the institution. Associate and bachelor’s gowns have pointed sleeves and are designed to be worn closed. Master’s and specialist gowns have long, closed sleeves with an arc near the bottom and an opening for the arm. Doctoral gowns are faced with wide velvet panels and have bell-shaped sleeves with three horizontal velvet bars. Caps, originally round, are typically square mortarboards. Some universities have adopted a doctor’s cap, which traditionally has a gold tassel, with a soft crown instead of the mortarboard. TASSELS At Community College of Philadelphia, the tassel worn by students signifies the type of degree or certificate being presented: Associate in Arts – white, Associate in Applied Science – dark green, Associate in Science – brown, Certificates – dark blue. HOODS Hoods, which originally were attached to the gown and could be slipped over the head for warmth, are the most colorful articles of clothing for specialist, master’s and doctoral recipients. The color of the lining of the hood represents the university awarding the degree. The color of the facing of the hood reflects the academic discipline of the wearer’s highest degree. Colors that may be seen among the marching faculty and their corresponding fields of study include: brown (fine arts), crimson (journalism), dark blue (philosophy), golden yellow (science), lemon yellow (library science), light blue (education), yellow-brown (commerce, business, accountancy), pink (music), purple (law), sage green (physical education), scarlet (theology) and white (arts, letters, humanities). 2 54TH COMMENCEMENT | MAY 2, 2020 Laura Davidson Debonair Oates-Primus, Ph.D. Mace Bearer, Mace Bearer, 2020-21 Processional 2020-21 Recessional THE MACE The ceremonial mace, a symbol of academic scholarship and integrity since the 11th century, is used to lead the academic procession at commencement and other special ceremonial occasions, signifying the importance of the event and the conformation of the academic process. Ceremonial maces derive from maces used as weapons in the Middle Ages. The first maces were a heavy staff or club, made wholly or partly of metal and often spiked, and were used to break armor. The earliest ceremonial maces are believed to have been carried by sergeants-at-arms who protected kings in France and Germany. Over the centuries, maces became more decorative and symbolic. Maces are part of ceremonial traditions in the U.S. House of Representatives and the British House of Commons. The tradition at Community College of Philadelphia’s Commencement exercises is to honor a senior faculty member by being named the Mace Bearer. This honor may go to a retiring faculty member, or as is the case this year, to a past winner of the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching. GONFALONS The gonfalons – or banners – are a recent addition to Community College of Philadelphia’s Commencement exercises. The gonfalon is a long banner that is suspended from a crossbar. The name derives from medieval Italy, where “gonfaloni” was the name given to community meetings in Florence. Each neighborhood had its own flag and coat of arms, and the word gonfalon eventually came to be associated with the flag. At Community College of Philadelphia, each degree type has its gonfalon and the “gonfalonieres” – the carriers of the banners – precede the candidates for each degree type during the processional into the arena. The gonfalon bearer is an honor accorded to a member of the faculty from a department offering that degree type. The colors associated with each degree type mirror the tassel color worn by the degree candidates. 3 COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF PHILADELPHIA ANNOUNCED INSTRUCTIONS SANDRA GONZALEZ-TORRES Director of Articulation and Transfer PRE-COMMENCEMENT MUSIC Selections from Spring Garden Records Director, PAUL J. GEISSINGER Associate Professor and Department Head, Music PROCESSIONAL Program “Pomp and Circumstance Re-Work” by JA’IR “HYDEPH” RICE Class of 2021, Associate in Applied Science, Sound Recording and Music Technology; Spring Garden Records Artist Mace Bearer: LAURA DAVIDSON, MS, RD, LDN Associate Professor, Allied Health; Program Director, Health Care Studies; 2019 Lindback Award Winner THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE “Pledge of Allegiance” AND NATIONAL ANTHEM recited by: JAVIER RIVERA Class of 2020, Associate in Applied Science, Computer Information Systems Technology; Navy Veteran CHUN TIEN Class of 2021, Associate in Arts, Health Care Studies; United States Marine Corps Iraq Veteran “The Star-Spangled Banner” performed a cappella by: JACQUI BURKHOLDER Class of 2021, Associate in Arts, Music Performance WELCOME REMARKS DONALD GUY GENERALS, Ed.D. President WELCOME AND CONGRATULATIONS Student Speaker MORIAH LIT Class of 2021, Associate in Arts, Education - Secondary Humanities/Social Studies; President, Student Government Association 4 54TH COMMENCEMENT | MAY 2, 2020 SALUTATIONS AND JEREMIAH J. WHITE, Jr. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Chair, Board of Trustees COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS STATE REPRESENTATIVE JOANNA E. McCLINTON, Esq. Pennsylvania House Democratic Leader, 191st District (Delaware and Philadelphia Counties) PRESENTATION OF CANDIDATES SAMUEL HIRSCH, Ed.D. FOR DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES Vice President, Academic and Student Success CONFERRAL OF ASSOCIATE DEGREES DONALD GUY GENERALS, Ed.D. AND CERTIFICATES Candidates for ASSOCIATE IN ARTS and ASSOCIATE IN APPLIED SCIENCE Candidates for ASSOCIATE IN SCIENCE and CERTIFICATES ALUMNI ADDRESS MICHAEL BANKS President, Alumni Association Council CLOSING REMARKS DONALD GUY GENERALS, Ed.D. RECESSIONAL “Pomp and Circumstance Re-Work” Mace Bearer: DEBONAIR OATES-PRIMUS, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, English; Coordinator, Diversity Fellowship Program, Black Studies; 2020 Lindback Award Winner GRADUATE ROLL CALL “Pomp and Circumstance” by E. ELGAR INDIVIDUAL GRADUATE RECOGNITION To quickly find your personalized roll call slide/clip, use the search bar below the ceremony video and share with your friends and family on various social media platforms. 5 COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF PHILADELPHIA Keynote Speaker JOANNA McCLINTON, ESQUIRE, took the oath of office to serve the people of the 191st Legislative District on Aug. 25, 2015, after winning a special election two weeks prior. In November 2018, she became the first African-American and woman to be elected as the House Democratic Caucus chair for the 2019–20 legislative session. In November of 2020, Representative McClinton was elected to be the House Democratic Leader for the 2021–2022 legislative Session, making her the only Black woman to ever hold