Chestnut Hill College Celebrates 89th Commencement

Posted: May 10, 2016

MAY 9, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Cristina Diaz
Media and Community Relations Manager
215.753.3684

(Photos are available at the bottom of this press release)

PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Honorable Kevin M. Dougherty, justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, will deliver the 89th Commencement address on Saturday, May 14, at 11 a.m. at the College.

A Philadelphia native, Justice Kevin M. Dougherty was elected to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in November 2015. Prior to his ascension to the highest court, he served as Administrative Judge of the Trial Division; First Judicial District. In this post he oversaw all aspects of Pennsylvania’s largest civil and criminal trial court system. Previously, Justice Dougherty served as Administrative Judge of Philadelphia Family Court for nearly a decade, where he is credited with much of the reform in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems in Philadelphia that includes a new detention facility and courthouse. There are fewer children incarcerated or burdened with juvenile court records as a result of his efforts and the infusion of a philosophy of restorative justice for juvenile court.

Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees will be awarded to Carol McCullough Fitzgerald, the Honorable James J. Fitzgerald, III as well as Justice Dougherty. An Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters will be awarded to John F. Haught, Ph.D.

Carol McCullough Fitzgerald is no stranger to Chestnut Hill College, having served as a member of the College’s board of directors for six years (2007-2013) and on the SugarLoaf Task Force. Carol’s relationship with the College also enjoys a long-standing family bond as well. Her father, James McCullough, similarly served the College as one of the first lay members of the board from 1972-1975 and was awarded an honorary degree at commencement in 1978.

Carol’s extraordinary leadership and networking skills, as well as the personal touch that characterizes her relationships with others, is widely recognized. Her professional career has been rich and varied, and her many impressive accomplishments include collaborating in 2000 with the Republican National Convention to develop and produce PoliticalFest, a unique, nonpartisan, interactive celebration of American politics. Carol spent most of her career serving two universities — the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University — as a senior-level administrator. In 2000, she was named to the position of Executive Director of The Pennsylvania Society — the first woman to hold that post in the Society's 118-year history. Carol Fitzgerald is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and holds a master's degree from Drexel University.

The Honorable James J. Fitzgerald, III, senior judge of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, is a gentleman measured by the strength of his character and the extraordinary discipline in his labors throughout many levels of the judiciary system. Justice Fitzgerald has forged a distinguished career path that began in Philadelphia’s Office of the District Attorney, moved to overseeing the government affairs Division of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and subsequently, garnered a position on the bench of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, where he became the Administrative Judge of the Trial Division. In 2007, he became an Interim Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Since 2008, he has served as a Senior Judge on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. Justice Fitzgerald is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Villanova School of Law.

John F. Haught. Ph.D. is a Distinguished Research Professor at Georgetown University. He specializes in systematic theology, with a particular interest in issues pertaining to science, cosmology, evolution, ecology and religion. He is the author of more than 19 books and 100 book chapters and articles. Dr. Haught is the recipient of numerous awards such as the Owen Garrigan Award in Science and Religion, the Sophia Award for Theological Excellence, and the Friend of Darwin Award from the National Center for Science Education.

For more information on commencement, please click here.

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About Chestnut Hill College

Celebrating more than 90 years of tradition and risk, Chestnut Hill College is a four-year coed Catholic college in the Ignatian tradition that offers a traditional liberal arts undergraduate program as well as accelerated undergraduate degrees, master’s and doctoral programs. The College has been rated by US News & World Report as among the best master’s universities in the North, as among the best Northeastern colleges by The Princeton Review, and has been classified as selective by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Since 1924, the College has offered a rigorous curriculum that provides students with a broad background in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The goal of Chestnut Hill College has been to prepare students for life’s challenges by helping them to grow intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and socially.