Clark

Earl Lewis, President of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Lewis is President of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, after serving for over eight years as Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and as the Asa Griggs Candler Professor of History and African American Studies at Emory University.

He was the university's first African-American provost and the highest-ranking African-American administrator in the university's history.

Lewis became the sixth President of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in March 2013. Under his guidance, the Foundation has reaffirmed its commitment to the humanities, the arts, and higher education by emphasizing the importance of continuity and change

Clark's commencement ceremony will be held on Sunday, May 21 at noon

UMass Medical

Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, President, Morehouse School of Medicine

Rice is the sixth president of Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) and the first woman to lead a free-standing medical institution.

During her career,  Rice has served as dean of the School of Medicine and senior vice president of health affairs at Meharry Medical College. While there, she founded and directed the Center for Women’s Health Research. 

Rice started her career in medicine in 1993 at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, Henry Ford Medical Center and Meharry Medical College.

The UMass Medical commencement ceremony is set for June 4 at noon time. 

Worcester State

Joe Andruzzi, Former New England Patriots Player

Andruzzi played for the Patriots from 2000 to 2005 helping the team win three Super Bowl titles in the process. 

Andruzzi was later diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Burkitt lymphoma, leading his family to establish the Joe Andruzzi Foundation to provide support to cancer patients and their families. 

The Foundation also funded pediatric brain cancer research. 

In 2015, Andruzzi received the “Man of the Year” award from the Walter Camp Football Foundation. 

Worcester State’s commencement ceremony is set for May 13 at 10 a.m. at the DCU Center. 

Nichols

Marty Allen, Former President of California Closets Co.

In 1991, Allen was named president of California Closets Co., a division of Williams-Sonoma. Over the next two years, he rebuilt the company from a $3 million loss to profitability and record sales.

 In 1996, he was named CEO of Party America, which he led out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in six months. Party America grew from just over 50 stores to 300 stores nationwide in 18 months—to become the second largest party chain in the country.

In 2006, Allen was the first person to be inducted into the Party Retailing Hall of Fame. 

Allen graduated from Nichols College in 1975. 

Nichols graduation is set for Saturday, May 6 at 5 p.m. at the DCU Center. 

Assumption

John L. Allen Jr., Editor of Crux, specializing in coverage of the Vatican and the Catholic Church

Crux has written nine books on the Vatican and Catholic affairs, and also is a popular speaker on Catholicism. 

His books include “Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church”, and two about Pope Benedict XVI. 

Allen's articles have appeared in The Boston Globe, The New York Times, CNN, NPR, The Tablet, Jesus, Second Opinion, The Nation, the Miami Herald, Die Furche, and the Irish Examiner.

He is also senior Vatican analyst for CNN, and was a correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter for 16 years.

Assumption's commencement ceremony is set for Saturday, May 13 at 4 p.m.

Holy Cross

Dr. James O'Connell, founding physician of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP)

Dr. O’Connell has dedicated his medical career to caring for Boston’s homeless with the founding of Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program in 1985. Since its founding, BHCHP has helped over 12,000 homeless people a year in two hospital-based clinics and more than 60 shelters and outreach sites. 

O’Connell served as the National Program Director of the Homeless Families Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1989–1996.

He published his first book, “Stories from the Shadows: Reflections of a Street Doctor” (BHCHP Press), in 2015.

Holy Cross' commencement ceremony is set for Friday, March 26 at 10:30 a.m. 

Becker College

Cliff Rucker, President, NFS Leasing & Owner, Worcester Railers Hockey Club

Rucker is the founding president of NFS Leasing, a multidisciplinary equipment leasing firm, as well as the founder of NEXL, a provider of IT service. 

Most recently, Rucker has brought hockey back to Worcester as owner of the incoming Worcester Railers who are set to open their inaugural season in 2018. 

Rucker is a trustee at The Pingree School, former Trustee of The Brookwood School and on the advisory board for Citizens for Adequate Housing and Kids Kicking Cancer.

Becker's commencement ceremony is set for Saturday, May 6 at 10 a.m. 

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Rodney Brooks, chairman, and CTO of Rethink Robotics

Rethink Robotics is a manufacturing company dedicated to making robotics more accessible, usable, and practical.

The company is also known for its collaborative robots Baxter and Sawyer, both of which were designed to make manufacturing processes more automatic, affordable, and safe.

Brooks also will receive an honorary doctor of science degree.

WPI's commencement ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 13. 

Anna Maria

 Richard L. Connors, Associate Professor at Anna Maria 

Since joining the faculty at Anna Maria in 1965, Connors has started  many of Anna Maria’s programs both undergraduate and graduate, most recently creating a licensure track program which would allow students to meet the state requirements to apply for licensure as a mental health counselor in Massachusetts.

During his time at Anna Maria he has held the positions of dean of graduate and continuing education, director of the campus college counseling center, coordinator of the college exchange program, and chairperson of the graduate and undergraduate psychology department. 

Connors received a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, a Master of Arts from Assumption College and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate studies from Assumption College. 

Anna Maria's commencement ceremony is set for Saturday, May 20 at 10 a.m. 

Quinsigamond

Dr. Gail Carberry, President of Quinsigamond Community College

Dr. Carberry is retiring at the end of the 2017 school year. She has been president of the school for the last 10 years.

Carberry started Quinsigamond in 2006. Prior to that, she worked for 30 years at Springfield Technical Community College.

She holds Certificate in Small Business Management from Springfield Technical Community College, a B.S. from Worcester State University and Master’s and Doctorate degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. 

Quinsigamond's commencement is set for Thursday, May 18 at 4 p.m. at the DCU Center.