Cleveland State University’s fall commencement ceremony will take place on Sunday, December 14 at 1:30 p.m. at the Bert L. and Iris S. Wolstein Center, 2000 Prospect Ave. A procession of graduates and faculty begins at 1 p.m.

Graduates of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, College of Science, Fenn College of Engineering, Nance College of Business Administration, College of Education and Human Services, and Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs will participate. Graduates will be recognized by name as they cross the stage and receive their diplomas. Ph.D. and doctoral graduates will be hooded on stage.

An honorary doctor of laws degree will be presented to Harriet M. Fulbright, President of the J. William & Harriet Fulbright Center. Honorary doctor of humane letters degrees will be presented to Henry J. Goodman, former Chairman of Cleveland State University’s Board of Trustees, and Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton, President of Cuyahoga Community College.

Harriet Fulbright will deliver the commencement address.

Click here for details on the commencement ceremony.

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Harriet M. Fulbright shares with her late husband, Senator J. William Fulbright, a dedication to the search for peaceful solutions to conflicts throughout the world. The J. William & Harriet Fulbright Center is a nonprofit organization that promotes world peace through international collaborations and education programs, engaging with higher education institutions, teachers and leaders throughout the world.

Fulbright is an international expert on creative leadership who has traveled the globe in support of cross-cultural understanding, the arts and education. She served as Executive Director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, and was the “Unofficial Ambassador” for the 50th anniversary of the Fulbright Program, known for its prestigious scholarship and grants program that sends college students and senior scholars abroad.

Fulbright was the keynote speaker at Cleveland State’s 2008 Creative Voices Arts Education Summit and met with many of Cleveland State’s Fulbright Scholars. With nearly 60 Fulbright Scholars, Cleveland State is one the most active Fulbright institutions in the country, sending as many faculty overseas as many of the top universities in the U.S.

Henry J. Goodman is known for setting the standard for civic involvement and corporate engagement. As former Chairman of Cleveland State’s Board of Trustees, he led the University with great honor and courage during a time of enormous change. During his tenure, Goodman guided Cleveland State into a new era as the University created its first modern residence hall; built the architectural gem that is the Music and Communication Building, and developed the spectacular 17th-18th Street Project, now home to the Nance College of Business and Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs.

He was tireless in his efforts to ensure the completion of the Bert L. and Iris S. Wolstein Center in 1991. On the academic side, Goodman helped guide Cleveland State’s rising excellence in research and new programs in business, teacher certification, economic development and many other areas.

As President of Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton oversees the largest and oldest community college in Ohio, serving more than 60,000 students. Cleveland State and Tri-C share many strong partnerships that serve as a national model of cooperation between universities and community colleges. Thornton has been instrumental in creating many of these, including the joint Physician Assistant program and the Partnership Program that allows students to pursue a bachelor degree while simultaneously enrolled and experiencing student life at both Tri-C and Cleveland State.

Through these programs and many others, Thornton has developed Tri-C into a strong economic and intellectual force for Ohio, fostering numerous partnerships with business, industry and local schools.

Her many awards and honors reflect her commitment to education and community service. Most recently, she was named among the Best of the Best African American Female Educators by the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc. She has been honored with the American Council on Education Fellow’s Mentor of the Year Award, “Spirit of Women” Community Impact Award, and was inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame.

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