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COMMENCEMENTS

Punster, pollster, pol and professionals at graduations

Catholic colleges host mix of speakers

A comedian, a polling guru, a politician, a judge and a doctor will receive honorary degrees from Catholic colleges in the Albany Diocese this month.

The College of Saint Rose in Albany will present honorary degrees to comedian Jimmy Fallon and pollster John Zogby at the college's 86th commencement. The event will be held May 9 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

The ceremony marks the largest graduating class in CSR's history, with 1,808 students receiving degrees.

Mr. Fallon will receive both an honorary doctorate and his bachelor's degree, said Benjamin Marvin, a spokesman. 

Mr. Fallon, host of NBC's "Late Night," attended CSR from 1992 through 1995 and left one semester before graduation to pursue comedy in Los Angeles.

Mr. Fallon submitted a portfolio of his work in TV and films to fulfill the college's requirements for outstanding credits in his major, communications. He appeared on "Saturday Night Live" for six years and in several movies 

"Jimmy Fallon is a star of screens big and small, who has made millions laugh with his boundless energy, razor-sharp wit and comedic talent," said R. Mark Sullivan, president of The College of Saint Rose. "I look forward to making Jimmy finally sit through my commencement speech."

Mr. Zogby is president and CEO of Zogby International, a worldwide research and marketing firm. Mr. Zogby's clients include NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, C-SPAN, the New York Post, Fox News, Knight-Ridder Newspapers and the Albany Times Union. 

Mr. Zogby writes a column for Forbes and one for Politics magazine.

Mr. Zogby is a special adviser to CSR's Institute for Community Research and Training, which works with small non-profits to operate more effectively. 

Dr. Sullivan said: "John Zogby is a star of the world of numbers and what people are thinking, someone who has combined the best practices of social science with a spirit of humanity."

Maria merits
Maria College in Albany will present Betty Barnette, city treasurer, with the McAuley award at the college's 47th commencement ceremony May 17 at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany. The school will graduate 145 this year. 

The McAuley award is named for Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy, the sponsors of Maria College, said Martha Fashouer, director of development at Maria College. 

Catherine McAuley was known for her charity and encouraging others to serve the community. 

Mrs. Barnette has served as treasurer for the City of Albany since 1991. She was the first woman to serve as an elected public official in Albany and the first African-American to serve since the 1800s. A lifelong resident of Albany, Mrs. Barnette graduated from Maria's nursing program in 1981.


Saints on march
Siena College in Loudonville will hold its 69th commencement on May 17 at the Times Union Center in Albany for its 831 graduating seniors. 

Honorary degrees will be presented to Victoria A. Graffeo, associate judge for the New York State Court of Appeals, and Dr. Robert J. Paeglow. 

Judge Graffeo's judicial career began in 1996 when she was appointed to fill a vacancy on the New York Supreme Court trial bench in the Third Judicial District. 

She was later appointed to serve on the appellate court and later the Court of Appeals.

She has served in all three branches of government. Before joining the judiciary, she was state solicitor general. She also spent 10 years in counsel positions with the New York State Assembly. Her first legal position in government service was as assistant counsel to the State Division of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse. 

Before entering public service, Judge Graffeo practiced law in Colonie, where she engaged in civil and criminal litigation in state and federal courts.

Dr. Paeglow began his career at Albany Medical Center, where he taught himself radiation physics. After seeing a documentary on the healthcare crisis, he went to medical school in hopes of providing care to those with limited or no access to health care.

Serving the sick 
During his fourth year in medical school, he led a small team into post-war Mozambique, Africa, to provide basic medical care to refugees. Since 1994, Dr. Paeglow has led 28 medical missions involving dozens of medical students, while caring for more than 100,000 patients in the field.

In 2000, he founded the Koinonia Primary Care/Mental Health Practices in the West Hill neighborhood of Albany, which serves the poor. 

Past keynoter
Dr. Paeglow serves as associate professor at Albany Medical College and in the department of family and community medicine. He has been the keynote speaker for the Siena College/ Albany Medical College senior seminar for the past five years.

Dr. Paeglow has received both local and national recognition for his work with the underserved, including The Association of American Medical Colleges' Humanism in Medicine award and the 2009 Jefferson award for public service in the Capital District. 

This is the first year Siena will have its graduation at the Times Union Center, said Jim Eaton, associate director of communications at Siena. 

"This will allow us to better accommodate our graduates and their families," he said. This year, each graduate can have up to 10 guests attend the ceremony.

(05/07/09) [[In-content Ad]]

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