THE CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK VIRTUAL SALUTE TO GRADUATES JUNE 30, 2020 THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK VIRTUAL SALUTE 2020 | 1 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Dear CCNY Graduates of the Class of 2020, 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 2020, you are different. At a time when the inequitable imprint of this scourge underscores the other inequities in our society, the City College—and those who work study and graduate from it—stand apart. You graduate from an institution established to redress inequality, an institution that each generation has the responsibility of scanning the social and Vince Boudreau political landscape, and setting its sights on rectifying that which sits most uneasily in President the light of that responsibility. It has been over fifty years since we have faced the kinds of challenges we face today to our democracy, to the fabric of our society, and to the health and security of our people. As an institution, we were made for this moment. As graduates of CCNY, you now shoulder the responsibility of giving voice to your vision of that just society, a vision we have worked to develop and instill in you all the days of your work with us. You have struggled, sometimes mightily and against long odds, to reach this day, and we beam with pride at 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 VIRTUAL SALUTE 2020 | 2 HONORARY DEGREE Benjamin B. Ferencz, a distinguished member of City College’s Class of 1940, was born in 1920 in modern day Romania. His family moved to the United States when he was 10 months old. Ferencz attended Harvard Law School after graduating from CCNY, earned his law degree in 1943 and fought in World War II. At the end of the war, the young lawyer was recruited for the Nuremberg war crimes trials in Nuremberg, Germany. In his 1988 book, “Planethood,” Ferencz wrote: “Indelibly seared into my memory are the scenes I witnessed while liberating these centers of death and destruction. Camps like Buchenwald, Mauthausen, and Dachau are vividly imprinted in my mind’s eye. Even today, when I close my eyes, I witness a deadly vision I can never forget- the crematoria aglow with the fire of burning flesh, the mounds of emaciated corpses Benjamin B. Ferencz stacked like cordwood waiting to be burned…I had peered into Hell.” Honorary Recipient Once the International Military Tribunal’s prosecution of German Field Marshal, Herman Goering and his henchmen was concluded, the United States tried a broad cross section of Nazi criminals. Ferencz was involved in this effort, scouring Nazi offices and archives in Berlin with other researchers. They found overwhelming evidence of Nazi genocide by leading Germans in various sectors. Appointed Chief Prosecutor for the United States in The Einsatzgruppen Case, Ferencz led the pursuit for justice in what the Associated Press called “the biggest murder trial in history.” Twenty-two defendants were charged with murdering over a million people. He was only 27 and it was his first case. All of the defendants were convicted. Thirteen were sentenced to death. The verdict was hailed as a great success for the prosecution. Ferencz’ primary objective had been to establish a legal precedent that would encourage a more humane and secure world in the future. He said of the experience: “Nuremberg taught me that creating a world of tolerance and compassion would be a long and arduous task. And I also learned that if we did not devote ourselves to developing effective world law, the same cruel mentality that made the Holocaust possible might one day destroy the entire human race.” During the Vietnam War, Ferencz focused on the need for a peaceful world. Ferencz dedicated himself to writing about world peace. His book “Defining International Aggression-The Search for World Peace” was published in 1975. Ferencz felt that there was little sense in denouncing aggression, terrorism, and other crimes against humanity unless these offenses became part of an international criminal code enforced by an international court. He published another two-volume documentary history, “An International Criminal Court-A Step Toward World Peace,” which was intended to be a tool that nations could use to build a structure for peace. At Harvard, Ferencz had studied jurisprudence under Roscoe Pound, one of the world’s top jurists. Ferencz’ research was recorded in another two-volume book, “Enforcing International Law-A Way to World Peace,” published in 1983. To spread the word, he wrote another book, “A Common Sense Guide to World Peace.” In 1988, Ferencz co-authored the best-seller “Planethood” with Ken Keyes, Jr. It advised ordinary citizens how to help establish international law and urged UN reform. At the end of the Cold War, the world community finally discussed the establishment of an international criminal court. When the Rome Statute was affirmed by vote in 1998, Ferencz asserted that “an international criminal court—the missing link in the world legal order—is within our grasp.” Since Rome, Ferencz has been active at Preparatory Commission sessions for the ICC, monitoring and making available his expertise on current efforts to define aggression. He continues to write and speak worldwide for international law and global peace. The City College of New York is proud to honor Benjamin B. Ferencz with the degree, Doctor of Humane Letters,honoris causa. VIRTUAL SALUTE 2020 | 3 VALEDICTORIAN Sabastian Hajtovic is the second consecutive CUNY School of Medicine (CSOM) at City College student named CCNY Valedictorian after the Class of 2019’s Elizabeth Yim. He is graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA from CSOM’s Sophie Davis Biomedical Education Program. The Queens resident has earned a BS degree in biomedical science as he continues work toward his MD in spring 2023. Brought up in Rockaway Beach to a family of Turkish heritage, Hajtovic has been lauded as a talented researcher and gifted student by mentors. His graduation honors are numerous. They include the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence. He earned the Rudin Research Fellowship in associate medical professor Linda Spatz’ lab for his work on molecular mimicry and cross-reactive antibodies in patients with lupus. He also received a Colin Powell Fellowship in Leadership and Public Service, under Sabastian Hajtovic which he studied NYCHA housing conditions and asthma prevalence. He was also 2020 Valedictorian on the Dean’s List for his entire undergraduate years. Hajtovic has shown exemplary leadership and excellence outside the classroom and lab, too. Beginning in his sophomore year, he helped plan and operate a student-run once monthly free medical screening clinic at a church soup kitchen in Upper Manhattan. Under the direction of CSOM clinical professor and medical student advisor Holly G. Atkinson, it serves an extremely vulnerable population, many of whom do not have permanent residences. Hajtovic and his fellow students offer blood pressure screenings and counseling. The blood pressure testing has often caught highly elevated blood pressures, helping send patients to the emergency room in time. Hajtovic has served as treasurer, and is currently president-elect, of the CSOM chapter of Physicians for Human Rights [PHR], mentored by Atkinson. He will work with her and fellow students in planning for PHR’s 2020 National Student Conference scheduled for November at CCNY. Hajtovic has been elected to PHR’s National Student Advisory Board as co-chair of the conference and is also president of the Surgery Group at CSOM. Other highlights of the Valedictorian’s accomplishments include serving as a BronxCare Hospital pediatrics department intern. At community level, when Hurricane Sandy ravaged his Rockaway Beach hometown in October 2012, Hajtovic rose up for what he described as the defining moment of his life. After the Rockaway boardwalk was destroyed, he spearheaded a project to establish a new bike path. His team gathered thousands of petition signatures, pushing the city to accelerate reconstruction efforts. As he works toward his medical degree, Hajtovic is interested in pursuing a surgical subspecialty. His interest in neuroscience peaked in summer 2019 during a six-week research fellowship at Istanbul University, working in a neuro-immunology lab and shadowing the neurosurgery department. VIRTUAL SALUTE 2020 | 4 SALUTATORIAN A member of CCNY’s Macaulay Honors College, Isabella Joseph is graduating summa cum laude with a 3.94 GPA.