VIRTUAL SALUTE TO Graduates THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Dear CCNY Graduates of the Class of 2021, There are moments in our history that impress an indelible mark upon us, when we are called to do extraordinary things under the press of an indescribable moment. Anyone graduating in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic will be marked by this extraordinary moment. But even among that national class graduating in 2021, you are different. We stand at the cusp of a national return from the isolation, peril and social dislocation of the pandemic. We will, all of us, be marked by these dangerous years, by what we have come through and endured, but no less, by how we Vince Boudreau rise and respond. At a time when the inequitable imprint of this scourge President underscores the other inequities in our society, the City College—and those who work, study and graduate here—stand apart. You graduate from an institution established to redress inequality, an institution that insists on each generation of graduates the responsibility of scanning the social and political landscape, and setting out to rectify that which seems unfair, unjust or inequitable. As an institution, we were made for this moment, a moment when the revival of so much that we hold dear requires the energy, insight and creativity of the whole people. As graduates of CCNY, you now shoulder the responsibility of advancing your vision of a strong and just society, as so many before you have done. You have struggled, sometimes mightily and against long odds, to reach this day, and we revel with you in the pride of your accomplishment. You have contributed, in your questions and your ideas, to our vision, and as an institution we have adjusted that vision to account for your values and experiences. We have witnessed the flowering of your potential and expansion of your capacity. For all of these reasons, and with sadness and joy, we now bid you farewell in the full confidence of what you will do with your gifts. Hold tight to the vision of our college, and carry it into the world as you leave. Cherish and nurture a sense of yourself as especially equipped to meet the demands of the day. Be confident in your voice, even as you venture into new and different territory. You leave our campus equipped for your professional life, with academic credentials and a full cache of skills. But you also carry a vision of a better day, and it needs constantly to be nourished by your courage and commitment. You are the light of our lives, the fulfillment of our hopes, and our best chance at a fair and just society. I am honored to offer each and every one of you my most enthusiastic and profound congratulations. With my warmest congratulations, Vince Boudreau President CCNY VIRTUAL SALUTE 2021 | 2 HONORARY DEGREE Edward Blank is a telemarketing pioneer, having founded Edward Blank Associates, Inc. (EBA) in 1968 and served as its CEO. His successful use of the telephone as a powerful direct marketing tool helped launch the telemarketing industry. One of the first firms in the industry, EBA helped to define the industry through its innovations in training, quality control, technology, and data security. EBA became a top ten firm selling products and services from 13 call centers in the U.S. and Canada. Major clients included AT&T and Weekly Reader Children’s Books. Prior to founding EBA, Ed held senior market research positions in media, advertising, and industry. Ed received his BA in Economics from the City College of New York (CCNY) Edward Blank in 1957 and attended NYU Graduate School of Business. He is actively engaged Honorary Recipient as a board member of the Foundation for City College and is a member of its Finance Committee. Ed was married to the late City College Professor, Dr. Sharon Cosloy, a member of the City College Biology faculty for 27 years and a nationally known microbial geneticist. She served as Chair of the Biology Department for 6 years. Dr. Cosloy was a prominent researcher, dedicated teacher and mentor who was loved and respected by both faculty and students alike. To honor her memory and accomplishments, Ed has endowed an annual scholarship to support undergraduate research, a Professorial Fund to recruit and support a faculty member whose research includes microbial genetics and an annual lectureship which brings eminent scientists to the City College campus. Ed is active in various philanthropic organizations. He is a member of the National Board of the Jewish National Fund (JNF). He formerly served as JNF’s NGO Representative at the United Nations. Under JNF’s auspices, Ed funded a monument in Jerusalem, The 9/11 Living Memorial, dedicatedto the victims of 9/11. Ed also is a major supporter of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research where he supports an initiative to preserve, digitize and virtually reunite YIVO’s prewar library and archival collection located in New York City and Vilnius, Lithuania so that it becomes globally available for the public and academicians alike. Ed resides in Manhattan and is a proud father of two and grandfather of three. The City College of New York is proud to honor Edward Blank with the degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa. CCNY VIRTUAL SALUTE 2021 | 3 KEYNOTE SPEAKER/HONORARY DEGREE Alondra Nelson, President of the Social Science Research Council and Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, is an acclaimed researcher and author, who explores questions of science, technology, and social inequality. She currently serves as Deputy Director for Science and Society in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Nelson’s books include, Body and Soul: The Black Panther Party and the Fight Against Medical Discrimination and The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation after the Genome. She is coeditor of Genetics and the Unsettled Past: The Collision of DNA, Race and History (with Keith Wailoo and Catherine Lee) and Technicolor: Race, Technology, and Everyday Life (with Thuy Linh N. Tu). She is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts Dr. Alondra Nelson and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the National Academy Honorary Recipient of Medicine. In addition to her numerous contributions to anthropological and sociological journals and historical studies, Nelson is exceptional for her intellectual versatility that extends to scholarship in the worlds of biology, medicine, and public health. She is a renowned and influential scholar in the field of the social studies of science and technology, most especially the sociopolitical dimensions of genetics and artificial intelligence. Nelson’s work offers a critical and innovative approach to the social sciences that is conducive to a fruitful dialogue with the many disciplines. Her major research contributions are situated at the intersection of racial formation and social citizenship, on the one hand, and emerging scientific and technological phenomena, on the other. Her groundbreaking work brings together several research traditions: political sociology; racial and ethnic studies; the sociology of science, knowledge and technology; medical sociology; and social and cultural theory. She applies qualitative methodology— principally ethnography, historiography, and ethical inquiry—to the study of how conceptualizations of human difference shape lived experience, social relations, and life changes. The City College of New York is proud to honor Alondra Nelson with the degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa. CCNY VIRTUAL SALUTE 2021 | 4 VALEDICTORIAN Matthew Romano, an honors student who’s overcome the stigma of autism to excel academically, is The City College of New York’s Class of 2021 Valedictorian. The 22-year-old Bronx resident of Caribbean heritage is graduating summa cum laude with a 3.99 GPA. He’ll receive a BA degree in English with a minor in education. Talking of overcoming his challenges, Romano said: “It was only recently that I built up the courage to start undoing the straps of the straitjacket that’s both cramped and cradled me for the first 22 years of my life. It’s easy to lose sight of who you are when society only tells you who you’re not. Matthew Romano “The Autism stigma, in no uncertain terms, dictated the spheres I could access 2021 Valedictorian and those I could only gawk at from a distance. For me, and many of my neurodivergent peers, our neurotypical counterparts always seemed a world’s away and higher education bore a “do-not-enter” sign that we dared not trespass.” Inspired by CCNY’s 174-year mission to serve “the children of the whole people,” Romano, a member of the NYC Men Teach initiative, has been stellar in and out of the classroom. “As a future educator and proud alumni, I wear this motto both on my sleeve and near my heart to remind me of my ambition and purpose in becoming a teacher: to break barriers, extend “access to excellence,” instill radical change, and broaden the scope of “the whole people,” remembering to leave a deep enough imprint for others to follow.” Romano has been a student teacher since last fall at the Bronx High School of Science, one of the nine specialized high schools in the state. There he co-teaches ninth and 10th grade English classes designed for remote instruction. Working alongside Leslie Berger, Romano designs, plans, and teaches lessons to some of New York’s highest achieving students. Previously, Romano served as a teaching fellow in some of the highest-need schools across the Bronx. There, he developed his teaching philosophy centered around curriculum that is rigorous, culturally and socially relevant, and promotes risk-taking.