With great pride, Dean Jacqueline B. Mondros, DSW, welcomed family, friends and faculty to the School of Social Welfare's commencement on Friday, May 19 at the Staller Center for the Arts. 2 Doctoral degrees, 196 Master of Social Work degrees and 43 Bachelor of Arts (major in Social Work) degrees were granted at the joyous celebration.
Keynote speaker, Donna M. Corrado, Ph.D.; Commissioner, NYC Department of the Aging, urged the graduates to "never settle. Too many social workers settle for low-paying jobs, unacceptable work conditions and positions in which they are not supported or valued. Only we can set new standards for our profession. We must value ourselves before we can expect society to value us in return. Working with and on behalf of vulnerable people, sitting with them in their pain, is hard work. However hard it is, do it anyway! Find other passions outside of work. They will sustain you when the going gets tough. Find a mentor. Be a mentor. You don’t have to go it alone."
Silas W. Kelly, LMSW-CHMT, Suffolk Division Chair, NASW, and Sam Taube, Ph.D, MSW ('83), SSW Alumni board member gave remarks and encouraged the graduates to stay connected to their school, their peers and colleagues.
A reception in the Staller Center Plaza followed the ceremony.
