Keynote speaker for fall commencement announced Jessie Gruman will be the keynote speaker for the fall commencement ceremony. Gruman is the founder and president of the Center for Advancement of Health, an independent, nonpartisian, Washington-based policy institute devoted to strengthening people’s abilities to make good use of health care. Gruman received her undergraduate degree from Vassar College. She also has a Ph.D in social psychology from Columbia University. She is a professional lecturer in the School of Public Health at George Washington University, where she received the Presidential Medal. Gruman also serves on the board of trustees of the Advisory Panel on Medicare Education of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Institute, the Sallan Foundation and the Center for Information Therapy, among others. She is the author of numerous articles and essays published in scholary journals and public media. Her latest book, “After Shock: What to Do When the Doctor Gives You – Or Someone You Love – a Devastating Diagnosis,” is about how people use scientific information to make decisions about healthcare. Fall commencement is scheduled for Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m. in Matthews Arena.
– Mary Ann Georgantopoulos, News Staff
Northeastern partners with City Year An alliance between City Year andNortheastern was formed after Jim Stellar, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, suggested to City Year co-founder and CEO Michael Brown that they should partner. City Year is an organization whose aim is to build democracy through citizen service, civic leadership and social entrepreneurship. Brown was on campus Monday to kick off a week-long City Year Summer Academy, which attracted about 500 staff members from across the country and abroad. The university’s emphasis on community service as a key element of education closely aligns with City Year’s mission to engage young people in service. Stellar urged the partnership to help continue Northeastern’s mission to engage with communities to create real-world opportunities.
– Mary Ann Georgantopoulos, News Staff
Alum appointed to state Supreme Court Margot Botsford, who graduated from Northeastern’s School of Law in 1973, joins the list of university alumni who have ascended to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Botsford is a former assistant attorney general and Middlesex County prosecutor who was first appointed to the bench in 1989 by former Gov. Michael Dukakis, who is now a distinguished professor of political science at Northeastern. Botsford also served as a Superior Court judge for 18 years, and is best known as an author of the 2004 “Hancock” report on disparities in state funding of poorer school districts. Recently, Botsford established the Margot Botsford ’73 Co-op Stipend Fund, which will help support students pursuing co-ops in public interest law and human rights issues. She also serves on the university’s board of trustees.
– Mary Ann Georgantopoulos, News Staff
