Baruch College Graduates Class of 2011 on June 1
Speakers will include Irene M. Dorner, CEO and President of HSBC USA Inc. and HSBC Bank USA, N.A., and Russlynn Ali, Assistant Secretary For Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education
New York, NY, May 19, 2011 -- Baruch College, a senior college in the City University of New York (CUNY) system, will welcome students, family, faculty and friends to its 46th graduation ceremony to be held in two complete commencement exercises on Wednesday, June 1 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center North. Baruch College President Mitchel B. Wallerstein will confer the degrees to the undergraduates and graduates in the morning ceremony at 10:30 a.m. and in the afternoon ceremony at 3:00 p.m.
This year, the commencement address will be delivered by two prominent speakers. Irene M. Dorner, the President and Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Bank USA, N.A., will address the graduates of the morning session and Russlynn Ali, Assistant Secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education, will address the graduates of the afternoon session.
As CEO of HSBC Bank USA, Dorner leads a nationwide organization that serves around 4 million customers through its retail banking and wealth management, commercial banking, private banking, asset management, and global banking and markets segments, and operates more than 470 bank branches in 12 states and the District of Columbia. She is also Director, HSBC North America Holdings Inc., one of the nation's largest bank holding companies by assets; and General Manager, HSBC Group, one of the world's largest banking and financial services organization. She first joined the organization in 1982 as an in-house lawyer of the merchant banking arm of Midland Bank, which was later acquired by the HSBC Group. She has had responsibility for HSBC Bank plc's branch network in the North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and also held the position of General Manager, Premier and Wealth Management of HSBC Bank plc, and Deputy Chairman and CEO HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad. She serves on the board of The Doe Fund and the British-American Business Council, and is a member of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy and the Financial Services Roundtable. She graduated from St. Anne's College, Oxford with an M.A. in Jurisprudence.
President Barack Obama nominated Russlynn Ali as Assistant Secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education on March 18, 2009, and she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 1, 2009. As Assistant Secretary, Ali is Secretary Duncan's primary adviser on civil rights and responsible for enforcing U.S. civil rights laws as they pertain to education -- ensuring the nation's schools, colleges and universities receiving federal funding do not engage in discriminatory conduct related to race, sex, disability or age. Until her appointment to the Department of Education, Russlynn Ali had been a vice president of the Education Trust in Washington, D.C., and the founding executive director of the Education Trust-West in Oakland, Calif., since 2001. Ali has authored many reports and publications in the field of education and is a member of the California State Bar. Prior to joining the Department, Ali sat on numerous boards of directors and advisory committees, including College Track, the Institute for College Access and Success, and Great Schools. She received her J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, where she was awarded the Lowden-Wigmore Prize for Trial Advocacy and was a Julius Miner Moot Court Finalist.
Two honorary degrees will be given at the commencement to Bill Harnisch and Ruth Ann Harnisch. Bill Harnisch is the president, CEO, and chief investment strategist of Peconic Partners, an investment advisory firm he founded in 2000 and a president of the William F. Harnisch Foundation, which has given grants to hundreds of nonprofit organizations since its founding in 1998. He serves on the board of The Baruch College Fund and is a member of its investment committee. He will receive a Doctor of Commercial Science degree at the ceremony.
Ruth Ann Harnisch is a national advocate for women’s philanthropy and a former journalist who spent three decades working in newspapers, television and radio. She is a professional coach certified by the International Association of Coaching, is the founding funder of The Institute of Coaching at Harvard Medical School’s McLean Hospital, as well as the annual International Coaching Research Forum. She serves on the board of the International Coach Federation Foundation and is also a president of The Harnisch Foundation. She will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters degree at the ceremony.
The Valedictorian for the Class of 2011 is Garen Marshall, who has compiled a perfect 4.0 grade point average. He currently serves as the President of the Pre-Law Society and as a Legal Research Intern at the Kings County Criminal Court. Prior to his studies at Baruch, Garen completed two tours of duty in Iraq as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician with the U.S. Navy and received a Bronze Star. He is graduating with a double major in Philosophy and Political Science.
The Salutatorian for the Class of 2011 is Laura Boulos, who has also compiled a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Boulos has served as Secretary of the Bio-Med Club and tutors her fellow Baruch students in Biology and Chemistry. She is going to medical school at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) in the Fall and will graduate with a BBA in Finance and Investment with a minor in Natural Sciences.
Coverage Invited. Photo Op
DAY: Wednesday, June 1
TIME: 10:30 am and 3:00 pm
PLACE: Jacob Javits Convention Center North
West 40th St. and 11th Avenue
New York City