Fairfield has announced that the 63rd undergraduate commencement keynote speaker next month will be the President of Loyola University Chicago, Rev. Michael J. Garanzini S.J., with the Director of the Board on Global Health of the Institute of Medicine, Dr. Patrick Kelley ‘76, addressing the graduate class.
As the General Secretary of higher education for the Society of Jesus, Garanzini is responsible for coordinating and promoting Jesuit education. Garanzini plays an active role in community service. Before becoming President of Loyola University, Garanzini was employed as a full-time professor of psychology at Georgetown University.
Dr. Patrick Kelley ’76
At the U.S. National Academies, Kelley oversees studies on subjects like U.S. foreign assistance for HIV/AIDS and global surveillance for infections transmitted between humans and animals. After graduating cum laude from Fairfield University with a B.S. in biology, Kelley was employed by the U.S. Army Medical Corps.
The commencement committee recommends potential honorary degree recipients, who are then approved by the Board of Trustees. Father von Arx then selects the speakers “based on my estimation of who would be a good speaker with an appropriate message to deliver to our graduates,” said von Arx.
The honorary Doctor of Laws degree recipients will be Sister Maureen Clark, of St. Joseph in Pittsburgh and Sister Patricia Farrell, of Holy Family in Iowa. William P. McDonald, who has been with The New York Times since 1988, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Sister Patricia Farrell
Sister Maureen Clark
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