Paula Singer, B.S.
Chair, Walden University Board of Directors
You all look marvelous! Don’t they look marvelous? Please be seated.
Good Afternoon.
My name is Paula Singer, and I have the privilege of being the Chair of the Walden University Board of Directors. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the faculty, staff, and administration of the university, I am pleased to welcome you assembled here today—and to welcome those who are joining us via live webcast—for the thirty-ninth Commencement of Walden University. Today we come together as an academic community to recognize and honor those among our students who have fulfilled their hopes and dreams by completing programs of study for the bachelor’s, master’s, and the highest degrees conferred in the academy, the Doctor of Philosophy and the Doctor of Education. These talented and committed individuals—our graduates—are here this afternoon to have their degrees officially conferred upon them and to receive the plaudits of their colleagues.
All members of the Walden community take great pride as we celebrate the success of our graduates, but perhaps none more so than the members of the Board of Directors with us today who are the chief stewards of the university’s programs and resources, and the chief advocates for the university’s mission, well-being and future.
Members of the Board of Directors of Walden University who are on the stage today include:
Dr. Anita McDonald, Chancellor of Penn State Dubois
Dr. Barbara Solomon, Research Professor at Hamovitch Research Center at the University of Southern California
Dr. Stan Paz, Founding President of the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents
Lee McGee, of Sterling Capital Partners LP
Donna Dorsey, Consultant for the Maryland Board of Nursing
And Sean Creamer, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Arbitron Inc.
I am also pleased to acknowledge the leadership of Walden University with us today. They include:
Mr. Jonathan Kaplan, President
Dr. Denise M. DeZolt, Chief Academic Officer and Senior Vice President
And our many vice presidents and associate deans who work tirelessly in the pursuit of excellence for our university. It clearly takes more than just one village to run a university!
And it is with great pleasure that I recognize the faculty in such splendid array on our stage today. It is these faculty members who make the university and its programs come alive to our students, and it is they who represent the university’s heart and soul. Faculty, I know you hear me say these words at each of our commencements, but they do hold true, each and every time. Please join me in giving a special round of applause to the faculty for their dedication to the university and its students.
Graduates, the board, faculty, and administration of Walden University take great pride in your achievement today. We know that the conferral of your degrees will not only affect your lives, but the lives of those you serve. In fact, it is our expectation.
Your collective efforts extend far beyond the boundaries of the United States. The display of national flags you see behind me represents the diversity of Walden University’s graduates. From left to right, this graduating class is represented by: The United States, Argentina, Canada, China, Germany, Grenada, India, Israel, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Switzerland, and Thailand.