Mount Saint Mary College will hold its 47th annual commencement ceremony at 1 p.m. Saturday (May 15) on Kaplan Field. Fr. Kevin E. Mackin, OFM, Mount president, will recognize 481 bachelor's degree candidates and 214 master's degree candidates.
The Mount will confer honorary degrees upon four people: hospital CEO Allan E. Atzrott; surgeon Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Sr.; author Mary Higgins Clark; and farmer Joshua Morgenthau who promotes sustainable agriculture. Carson and Clark will deliver remarks.
"I'm glad we have such a distinguished roster of guests, to honor students' accomplishments in many fields, and to inspire them and their families," Mackin said.
The ceremony will include a benediction delivered by James V. McEnery, associate professor emeritus of English, a founding member of the college, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary during 2009-10.
Carson is a pioneer in pediatric neurosurgery and a philanthropist, writer and speaker. He has directed pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for a quarter century and operates on more than 300 children a year. He co-directs its Craniofacial Center and is a professor of oncology, plastic surgery and pediatrics.
The Detroit native is internationally renowned for his innovative and groundbreaking neurosurgeries, which include separations of Siamese twins joined at the head, and surgeries in which a portion of the brain is removed to stem intractable seizures in children.
He has written three best-selling books, Gifted Hands, an autobiography, and Think Big and The Big Picture, which offer inspiration and insights for leading a successful life. He wrote a fourth book, Take the Risk: Learning to Identify, Choose and Live with Acceptable Risk, in 2008.
Carson is president and co-founder, with his wife, Candy, of the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes students who strive for academic excellence and demonstrate a strong commitment to their community. He has three sons and is a strong advocate of fatherhood. He has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
He received a degree in psychology from Yale University and graduated from the University of Michigan School of Medicine. He completed his internship in general surgery and residency in neurological surgery at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.
Clark is a prolific writer and each of her 29 suspense novels has been a bestseller; her books have sold more than 100 million copies in the United States alone. All of her books are still in print; her first suspense novel, Where Are the Children?, published in 1975, is in its 75th printing. Two of her novels have been made into feature films, Where Are the Children? and A Stranger Is Watching, and many of her other works have been made into television films.
The daughter of an Irish immigrant father and a mother of Irish descent, the Bronx native began writing as a youngster. She has five children and to provide a good example to them of the value of education, she entered Fordham University in 1974 and graduated summa cum laude in 1979, with a bachelor's degree in philosophy.
"The Queen of Suspense" has won numerous awards, including the Passionists' Ethics in Literature Award and the American-Irish Historical Society's Gold Medal of Honor.
She is devoted to her Catholic faith and has been made a Dame of the Order of St. Gregory the Great, the highest honor that can be offered to a layperson. The Franciscan Friars presented her with the Graymoor Award in 1999.
Atzrott has been a health-care executive for more than 35 years, 23 as a chief executive officer, and a leader in helping health facilities deliver services. He came to the mid-Hudson Valley in 2000 to oversee the merger of St. Luke's Hospital in Newburgh and The Cornwall Hospital. He completed the challenging task in 2002 and has been president and chief operating officer of St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital (SLCH) ever since.
Under Atzrott's leadership, SLCH has brought much-needed services to the mid-Hudson region. He has enhanced facilities, technology, programs and services with a $100-million master facilities plan. SLCH launched its initiative with the renovation and expansion of the Kaplan Family Center for Emergency Medicine on the Newburgh campus. It continued with the creation of the first New York State-designated Stroke Center, the Center for Pain Management, and the Center for Joint Replacement. SLCH has also acquired the revolutionary da Vinci robotic surgery technology for prostatectomy and hysterectomy.
The Washington, D.C., native convinced New York State to bring a cardiac catheterization laboratory to the hospital to provide potentially a lifesaving diagnostic procedure. SLCH recently launched the Littman Cancer Center on the Cornwall Campus, bringing advanced radiation oncology to the region as well as comprehensive services for cancer patients and their families.
Atzrott has a master's degree in hospital administration from George Washington University and a bachelor's degree from Seton Hall University.
Morgenthau runs Fishkill Farms, a sustainable, diversified, family farm in Dutchess County. His grandfather, Henry Morgenthau, Jr., bought the property in 1913 and cultivated apples and milked cows.
Josh has always been interested in farming and the environment. He used to visit the farm as a child and has fond memories of making and bottling cider with his father, Robert Morgenthau, Manhattan's longtime district attorney.
He is also an artist, having graduated with a degree in fine arts from Yale University. He has written articles on art for the monthly journal, The Brooklyn Rail. Three years ago, after moving to the farm to paint agricultural landscapes, he decided to step in to manage it. He represents the next generation of a family deeply committed to public service and stewardship of the land.
To learn more about the commencement ceremony, call Ann Damiano, ceremonials chair, at 845-569-3176.