2020 Commencement Program
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Salve Regina University Seventieth Annual Commencement Class of 2020 May 16, 2021 10 a.m. Newport, Rhode Island The University Seal 1934 This seal depicts Our Lady of Mercy enclosed in a circle and standing before a cross. Around Our Lady’s head is inscribed the motto: Maria Spes Nostra, Mary our Hope. On one side of the base is the lamp of wisdom, and on the other, the book of learning. This seal, according to the bylaws, shall be affixed to all official documents and decrees prepared by Salve Regina University. 3 Academic Procession CHIEF MARSHAL FLAG BEARERS DEGREE CANDIDATES Bachelor of Arts and Science Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Science PRESIDENT’S PARTY Administrators Members of the Board of Trustees Chancellor President 4 Order of Exercises PROCESSIONAL MASTER OF CEREMONIES Nancy G. Schreiber, Ph.D. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs INVOCATION Theresa Ladrigan-Whelpley, Ph.D. Vice President for Mission Integration THE NATIONAL ANTHEM UNIVERSITY HYMN Salve Regina Soloist: Natalie Reid, Class of 2020 Accompanist: Matthew Kelly, Mercy Center for Spiritual Life AUTHORIZATION OF DEGREES Cheryl Mrozowski Chair of the Board of Trustees CONFERRING OF HONORARY DEGREES KEYNOTE ADDRESS Kathy Behrens President for Social Responsibility and Player Programs, NBA PRESENTATION OF DEGREES Kelli J. Armstrong, Ph.D. President of the University MESSAGE TO THE GRADUATES Kelli J. Armstrong, Ph.D. President of the University VALEDICTORIANS Kathleen Christ Bachelor of Arts, Religious and Theological Studies and American Studies Aurora Dziadul Bachelor of Arts, Psychology MESSAGE FROM C HANCELLOR/ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INDUCTION M. Therese Antone, RSM, Ed.D. Chancellor RECESSIONAL Greetings from the United States Senate, the State of Rhode Island and the City of Newport are available on Salve Regina University’s Commencement webpage 5 Donald Clough Christ Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa Well known for your kindness and a keen ability to envision potential, you, Donald Clough Christ, are a loyal friend, trusted advisor and extraordinary advocate for education who has touched countless lives, including thousands in the Salve Regina University community. Never one to step into the spotlight, you uplift those around you with a quiet grace and steadfast encouragement that inspire a determination to achieve. A distinguished career as a New York City attorney following studies at Yale University paid tribute to your father, an esteemed judge whose love of law and justice you inherited and have carried throughout your life. Recognized for your integrity and excellence by peers near and far, you earned respect throughout the industry in your work with the prestigious firm Sullivan & Cromwell, where you practiced law for many decades. As Chairman for the Alletta Morris McBean Charitable Trust, you have championed many causes, with particular concern for the Newport nonprofits working to create a better life for neighbors in need. Your guidance has been instrumental in launching initiatives on behalf of children and families as well as in the fields of education, healthcare, historic preservation and more, reflecting the same Mercy values that are the foundation of Salve Regina. A captivating storyteller whose wit lightens hearts, your friendship is a source of joy and your unwavering loyalty a gift to all who are blessed to know you. Always willing to listen, to learn and to respond to need, your compassionate service has made a deep and lasting impact across Salve Regina’s campus and in surrounding communities. In gratitude for your partnership, generosity and trusted leadership, Salve Regina University hereby confers upon you, Donald Clough Christ, as an honorary member of the Class of 2020, the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, with all its attendant rights, privileges and responsibilities on this sixteenth day of May in the year 2021. 6 Dr. Bernard LaFayette Jr. Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa Believing that the path to justice can be peacefully paved, you, Bernard LaFayette Jr., have dedicated your life to eradicating inequality through nonviolence. Your voice as an activist, minister, educator and lecturer has resoundingly amplified, with purpose and passion, those needing to be heard. As a student at the American Baptist Theological Seminary, you began your life’s work as an advocate for social justice by creating momentum in the Civil Rights Movement with like-minded contemporaries; each of you following your hearts in doing what was right, and irrevocably shaping history with your vision for our nation. Your legacy is forever united with that of Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis, leaving a deep and lasting impact for future generations. Standing with courageous determination against forces that sought to tear you down, you set about on a resolute mission, seeking to illustrate that a world in which the humanity of each individual is recognized and respected is one worth fighting for, and can be achieved if we join together in appreciating each person’s unique, God-given gifts. A scholar and a leader, you boarded buses, sat at lunch counters and faced the insidious evils of racism to combat the inequities of segregation, proving that peaceful protest inspires and cultivates social change. You have spoken of agape, the Greek notion of unconditional love, and described it as the foundation for nonviolence as a philosophy and way of life. Like Mercy, it asks for nothing in return, but its power is transformative. And like the Sisters of Mercy in their commitment to the Critical Concerns of nonviolence and racism, you turned empathy into action, always looking to engage, to listen and to advance the concepts of equity and inclusion. Spanning decades, your career has taken you across the globe to share a message of peace and nonviolence, and your work to forge systemic change has been tireless. For your dedication to a shared mission and working toward a world that is harmonious, just and merciful, Salve Regina University is pleased and honored to bestow upon you, Bernard LaFayette Jr., as an honorary member of the Class of 2020, the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, with all its attendant rights and privileges, on this sixteenth day of May 2021. 7 Kathy Behrens Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa Public service is a common thread woven throughout your life and your career, Kathy Behrens; a thread that has impacted the lives of thousands upon thousands—from the neighborhoods of New York City to communities around the world. A leader looking to support and empower, you have worked with determination to positively impact the lives of countless children and families, proving that when people join together to lend a helping hand, nothing is impossible. Your journey after graduation from the University of Hartford began in politics but then took you into the nonprofit sector, where you served as executive director for New York Cares, connecting enthusiastic volunteers with their neighbors in need. Joining the National Basketball Association, you found an organization with global outreach in which service to the community is a priority. In your role as President for Social Responsibility and Player Programs, you provide opportunities for the NBA to develop players who embrace their unique gifts, as both athletes and as compassionate individuals with the power to make a difference. With a belief in the importance of philanthropy, providing hands-on service and creating legacy projects that enhance communities, you demonstrate the Mercy values that Salve Regina holds dear by recognizing need and striving to find solutions. Under your leadership, NBA Cares partners with organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Vera Institute of Justice, Special Olympics and UNICEF to promote and support the education and well-being of youth and families worldwide. By engaging over 60 million youth in 40 countries, the program and its participants have strengthened communities through more than five million hours of service. As a dedicated leader in your profession, as well as a member of Share Our Strength’s Leadership Council and your alma mater’s Board of Regents, your voice resonates as an advocate for social justice, equity and inclusion; once again illustrating a unity of spirit with the Sisters of Mercy and their Critical Concerns. For your leadership, empathy and commitment to positive change in communities across the globe, Salve Regina University hereby confers upon you, Kathy Behrens, as an honorary member of the Class of 2020, the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, with all its attendant rights, privileges and responsibilities on this sixteenth day of May in the year 2021. 8 Graduate Degrees Doctor of Philoshophy MONIQUE CHARLINE HARRINGTON “Coming Back to Ourselves: Teacher Identity in a Digital Age” NICHOLAS JOSEPH MOLINARI “Concerning Water as the Archai: Acheloios, Thales, and the Origin of Philosophy. A Dissertation Providing Philosophical, Mythological, and Archaeological Responses to the Neo-Marxians“ CATHERINE L. MORAN “The Aura of 660 Fifth Avenue: Alva Vanderbilt, Richard Morris Hunt, and the emergence of American Luxury” GINA GRANADOS PALMER “Visual and Literary Representations of Memory and Meaning of the Atomic Bomb at Hiroshima-Nagasaki” NOVA MCCONNICO SEALS “Considering Heidegger: Artistic Identity and Authenticity in an Age of Technology” JAKE ROSS THIBAULT “Transgender: Science, Nature and Virtue” PATRICK DAN H. WONG “Three Perspectives on Happiness,