News Release
May 2000
Moravian
College will bestow honorary degrees on three distinguished individuals
at its commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 13, beginning at 10:00
a.m. Honorary doctorates will be awarded Edward G. Rendell, former Mayor
of Philadelphia and DNC General Chair, Frances Hesselbein, Chairman
of the Board, Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management,
and William G. Walker, United States Ambassador.
At the graduation ceremonies in the outdoor quadrangle
behind the Haupert Union Building, the College will grant degrees to
approximately 345 bachelor’s degree candidates and 20 MBA candidates.
In case of rain, the program will be held in Johnston Hall. The ceremony
will conclude the 258th academic year at Moravian, America’s sixth-oldest
college.
Edward G. Rendell will receive an honorary degree of Doctor
of Laws, which will be presented to him by Martin L. Trichon, member,
Moravian College Board of Trustees. Rendell served as Mayor of Philadelphia
from 1992-2000. With the help of Philadelphia’s City Council,
Rendell erased the city’s $230 million deficit, balanced the city’s
budget, and produced six straight budget surpluses. In addition, city
services dramatically improved during the Rendell Administration. With
the city’s fiscal problems in order, Rendell then led the charge
to position Philadelphia as a premiere destination city. Downtown tourist
attractions, coupled with the cultural and historical treasures, have
made Philadelphia an exciting and fun place to be.
Rendell was elected general chair of the DNC in September
1999. He and his wife, the Hon. Marjorie O. Rendell, live in the East
Falls Section of Philadelphia.
Frances Hesselbein will receive an honorary degree of
Doctor of Laws, which will be presented to her by Robert J. Schoenen
Jr., member, Moravian College Board of Trustees.
Hesselbein, one of the best-known leaders in the nonprofit
sector is CEO/president of Peter E. Drucker Foundation and former CEO
of Girls Scouts of U.S.A. (1976-1990). She has brought attention to
high-quality management excellence in the not-for-profit sector, as
well as business and government.
During her 13 years as CEO of Girls Scouts of U.S.A.,
Hesselbein was credited with transforming the organization with an effective
management structure and a strategic vision for the 21st century. As
Drucker Foundation president, Hesselbein has been instrumental in fulfilling
its mission to lead social sector organizations toward excellence in
performance concept of leadership. Hesselbein was awarded the Presidential
Medal of Freedom, the highest honor bestowed upon a citizen of the United
States, in 1998. The award recognized her leadership with Girl Scouts
of the USA as well as her role in leading social sector organizations
toward excellence in performance.
William G. Walker will receive an honorary degree of Doctor
of Laws, which will be presented to him by Odell Guyton ’77, member,
Moravian College Board of Trustees. Walker assumed the office of Vice
President of the National Defense University in November 1994. Prior
to this, he was Ambassador to El Salvador from August 1988 to March
1992. During his 34 years as a Foreign Service officer, Walker has served
tours in Peru, Japan, Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras, and Bolivia. His
domestic duties include being the Argentine Desk Officer in the Department
of State, served with the Environmental protection Agency, and was the
State Department Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
In keeping with a longstanding Moravian College tradition,
the graduating class recently elected a faculty member and a student
to speak at the commencement ceremony. Santo Marabella, associate professor
of economics and business and director, the Moravian MBA will give the
"Statement to the Graduates". Michael T. Susek, class of 2000,
will deliver the "Statement of the Bachelor’s Graduates."
Stephen C. Mohan, class of 2000, was selected by the M.B.A program to
deliver the "Statement of the Master’s Graduates."
A baccalaureate service will be held on Friday, May 12,
at 5:30 p.m. in Central Moravian Church. The speaker will be Calvin
O. Butts, pastor, Abyssinian Baptist Church, New York, and president,
State University of New York at Old Westbury. Through the Abyssinian
Development Corporation, Butts and his church have completed housing
construction and renovation projects for the homeless, seniors, and
moderate income buyers. The corporation has acquired two major, historic
landmarks in Central Harlem for preservation and has been instrumental
in establishing the Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social
Change, a public intermediate and high school. Butts is currently active
with the United Way and the Council of Churches in New York as well
as many other civic positions. He has been listed twice as a New York
Power Broker and has been recognized as a Living Treasure by the New
York City Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Moravian College is a private, coeducational, selective
liberal arts college located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tracing its
founding to 1742, it is recognized as America's sixth-oldest college.
Visit the Moravian College Web site at www.moravian.edu.
