Alec Baldwin to speak at MSU commencement May 21; separate convocations to be held for 1st time
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MONTCLAIR, N. J. -- For the first time in its 96-year history, Montclair
State University will hold separate on-campus graduation Convocations
for all of its schools and colleges prior to the University's main Commencement
ceremony at Continental Airlines Arena Friday, May 21, at 10 a.m. Celebrating
another historic achievement, the University will award the first four
doctoral degrees in the institution's history at Commencement.
Receiving an honorary doctoral degree at Commencement will be Tony,
Emmy and Golden Globe award nominated actor Alec Baldwin, an outspoken
supporter of the arts, environmental issues, animal rights and gun control.
Baldwin will deliver the main Commencement address.
Receiving honorary doctoral degrees at earlier Convocations will be
Cav. Joseph Coccia, Jr., and his wife, Elda, noted philanthropists and
founders of the Joseph and Elda Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience
in America; and Kevin Smith, New Jersey born and raised director of
the independent film classic "Clerks," filmed in the convenience
store where he worked and financed by selling his prized comic book
collection.
The Coccias will receive their honorary degree at the College of Humanities
and Social Sciences Convocation Saturday, May 15, at 1 p.m. at the University's
Pittser Field; Smith will receive his honorary degree at the Convocation
of the School of the Arts on Friday, May 14, at 7 p.m. in the University's
Memorial Auditorium.
Receiving the first doctoral degrees ever awarded by MSU will be Martha
Baklarz Croley, Matthew Victor Schertz, Deborah L. Ives and Louise Brandes
Moura Ferreira. The first three will participate in the May 21 ceremonies;
Ferreira has returned to her native country, Brazil. Each earned a doctorate
of education in pedagogy, with Croley and Ives specializing in mathematics
education and Schertz and Ferreira specializing in philosophy for children.
At the Convocations, the names of all degree recipients will be announced,
providing each student the opportunity to walk across the stage and
be recognized.
A complete list of ceremonies, with websites providing additional information:
**School of the Arts: Friday, May 14, 7 p.m., Memorial Auditorium.
www.montclair.edu/commencement/sartconvocation.html
**College of Humanities and Social Sciences: Saturday, May 15,
1 p.m., Pittser Field.
http://chss.montclair.edu/convo04.htm
**The Graduate School: Sunday, May 16, 1 p.m., Pittser Field.
www.montclair.edu/graduate/convocation.shtml
**College of Science and Mathematics: Monday, May 17, 7 p.m.,
Memorial Auditorium. www.montclair.edu/commencement/csamconvocation.html
**College of Education and Human Services: Tuesday, May 18, 7
p.m., Memorial Auditorium. http://cehs.montclair.edu/news/CEHSConvocation.shtml.
**School of Business: Thursday, May 20, 7 p.m., Memorial Auditorium.
www.montclair.edu/commencement/sbusconvocation.html
**UNIVERSITY COMMENCEMENT: Friday, May 21, 10 a.m., Continental
Airlines Arena. www.montclair.edu/commencement
Baldwin, who will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree, was
praised by MSU's Board of Trustees as a concerned citizen "who
deeply appreciates the education that has prepared him to pursue with
success a career in the arts and to exercise the responsibilities of
citizenship as a spokesperson for numerous social, political and humanitarian
causes."
Baldwin, a Long Island native, majored in political science at George
Washington University before he was accepted into the New York University
undergraduate drama program. Before finishing school, Baldwin was cast
in "The Doctors" and later moved to primetime television,
acting in "Cutter to Houston" and "Knots Landing."
On Broadway, Baldwin was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance
in "A Streetcar Named Desire," and was nominated for an Emmy
and a Golden Globe Award for the television movie of that same production.
He won an Obie Award for the off-Broadway production of "Prelude
to a Kiss" and a Theatre World Award for his role in "Loot."
Baldwin is currently starring in Broadway's "Twentieth Century."
Baldwin's film credits include "Malice," "Beetlejuice,"
"The Hunt For Red October," "Glengarry Glen Ross,"
"Ghosts of Mississippi" and "The Cooler," for which
he was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and the Screen
Actors Guild Award.
Baldwin, who returned to NYU to earn a BFA in drama in 1994, is an outspoken
supporter of various causes related to public policy, including environmentalism,
the arts, campaign finance reform, animal rights and gun control. He
serves on the board of directors of The Bay Street Theatre, the New
York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater, The New York University/Brennan
Center for Justice Program Advisory Board and the Carol M. Baldwin Breast
Cancer Research Fund, dedicated in honor of his mother.
Joseph and Elda Coccia will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
degree.
For the Coccias, Saddle Brook residents, the Institute for the Italian
Experience in America is the culmination of a lifetime of supporting
Italian and Italian-American causes.
Even with his hectic pre-retirement schedule -- when he served as president
of Coccia Development and as a principal of Coccia Realty, Inc., and
Midland Estates, Inc. -- Joseph was an active leader in UNICO National,
the country's largest Italian-American service organization, and has
remained so for 45 years.
When he was national president in 1976, the group helped rebuild the
town hall in the medieval Italian town of Venzone following an earthquake.
In recognition of his many charitable efforts, the Republic of Italy
knighted Coccia as Cavalieri in the Order of Merit.
A Newark native, Joseph Coccia graduated from East Side High School
in Newark and took accounting, real estate and insurance courses at
Drake Business School, the New Jersey Real Estate Brokers Association
and the Vale School of Business.
Elda Coccia was born in Avellino Province, Italy. The couple has five
children: Genevieve Nicastro, Elisa Coccia-Dob, Marisa Kettelhut, Joseph
Coccia III, Christopher Coccia; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Kevin Smith will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree.
Born and raised in New Jersey, writer, director, producer and actor
Kevin Smith has made a career of paying homage to his roots. It began
with his independent film, "Clerks." The movie won the 1994
Sundance Film Festival Filmmaker's Trophy and the Cannes Film Festival
Prix de la Jeunesse. With the proceeds from "Clerks," Smith
made "Mallrats" in 1995, followed by a string of Jersey-based
movies including 1997's "Chasing Amy," which won the Independent
Spirit Award for Best Screenplay. That was followed by 1999's "Dogma"
and 2001s "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." Smith appeared
in all the films as his on-screen persona, "Silent Bob."
In addition to his big-screen projects, Smith owns a comic book store,
Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, in Red Bank; writes articles for
Arena magazine; does short films for the "Jay Leno Show";
and runs a New Jersey-based production company, View Askew. A long-time
comic book aficionado, Smith is writing, directing and producing the
upcoming "The Green Hornet" as well as "Fetch Won."
Smith attended the New School for Social Research in New York, where
he majored in creative writing, and the Vancouver Film School. He lives
in Los Angeles with his wife, Jennifer Schwalbach, and their four-year-old
daughter Harley Quinn.
MSU's graduating class of 2,985 is expected to be the largest in the
university's history. Final figures will be available at the end of
May.
MSU is New Jersey's second largest and fastest growing university. It
offers the advantages of a large university -- a comprehensive undergraduate
curriculum with a global focus, a broad variety of superior graduate
programs, and a diverse faculty and student body -- combined with a
small college's attention to students.
More information on the University is available on its website: www.montclair.edu.
May 14, 2004
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