OWL
Summer | 12
Glad to be Grads!
a news supplement for alumni and friends of Southern Connecticut State University
Dear Friends of Southern, As the state’s leading producer of certified teachers and school administrators, Southern is a key player in building stronger partnerships between higher education and K-12 schools. We recently announced the Southern/New Haven Academy for Professional Development – or SNAP – focusing on distinctive training for student teachers seeking to work in urban schools. Southern has also been named a co-recipient of a seven-year, $31.5 million federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant to improve college access and readiness for Connecticut’s students. Starting in summer 2013, we will host 320 seventh graders from eight New Haven middle schools who will participate in science, math, literacy, and cultural programs. The funding will be used to increase the number of low-income students prepared to enter and succeed in post-secondary education, and to provide scholarships for eligible high school seniors. I wish you an enjoyable summer, and I thank you for your support of your alma mater as we continue our efforts to ensure that a college degree is an attainable goal for all of Connecticut’s children.
Mary A. Papazian, Ph.D. President
It was a day for celebration for the approximately 1,800 members of the Class of 2012, who were honored at Southern’s undergraduate commencement exercises on May 18 at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn. Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former U.S. President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush, delivered the commencement address, detailing the profound education she received from nontraditional teachers. Hager’s influences ranged from inner-city school children to a young mother living with AIDS whom she met while interning in Latin America with UNICEF. “I have learned invaluable lessons and, in fact, I’ve found sometimes you’ll find teachers in the most unexpected places,” says Hager, who is chairwoman of UNICEF’s Next Generation, an initiative for young professionals dedicated to reducing the number of preventable childhood deaths around the world. In addition to her volunteer efforts, Hager is a contributing correspondent with NBC’s “Today” morning show and a New York Times best-selling children’s book author. The university also held graduate commencement exercises at the same location on May 17, recognizing the more than 850 students who earned advanced degrees. Christopher J. Korenowsky, executive director of the New Haven Free Public Library, addressed the graduates.