COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF PHILADELPHIA’S FORTY-THIRD ANNUAL COMMENCEMENT WILL CELEBRATE STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF

PHILADELPHIA, May 7, 2009 — Community College of Philadelphia will celebrate the accomplishments and diversity of its students, faculty and staff at its 43rd Annual Commencement at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 9 at Temple University's Liacouras Center, 1776 North Broad Street (West Montgomery Avenue and Broad Street).

More than 1,765 students will receive associate degrees and/or certificates this year.

M. Elaine Tagliareni, Ed.D., R.N., president of the National League for Nursing (NLN), which sets the standards for nursing nationally, will be the keynote. A faculty member at the College for more than 25 years, she was named the Pennsylvania Professor of the Year in November 2008 by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and The Carnegie Foundation for Advancement in Teaching. She is the first NLN president from a community college.

Tagliareni has left an indelible mark on the students and communities she serves as NLN president, director of the national Fostering Geriatrics in Associate Degree Nursing Education project and as Independence Foundation Chair in Community Health Nursing Education.

This year, the College will celebrate the many and varied accomplishments of faculty members such as Tagliareni, as well as the College's talented students, administrators and staff - known collectively as the College family. It is a family as diverse as Philadelphia.

Students

Audra Jeffers of Germantown and Mary Anderson of Northeast Philadelphia

Both single parents with three children each, Jeffers and Anderson overcame difficult circumstances in their lives to win Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation national scholarships, designation to the All-Pennsylvania Team and full scholarships to any one of Pennsylvania's 14 state-supported colleges and universities.

Jeffers received a $1,250 Coca-Cola Silver Scholar stipend, a $2,000 Coca-Cola New Century stipend, and she had her name listed in a special section of USA Today. Anderson received a $1,000 Coca-Cola national finalist stipend.

Jeffers, 37, was born in Trinidad and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. She attended Howard University briefly, but dropped out. Later, she found her calling as a nurse after becoming friends with a visiting nurse who was taking care of an aging relative. She has maintained a 3.6 grade point average while juggling college classes, a part-time job at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, work as a volunteer student ambassador at the College and the responsibilities of taking care of her three children, ages 11, eight and four. She also is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society. &dquo;Anything in life that you truly want is obtainable, especially in America," Jeffers said.

Anderson, 38, dropped out of school in the eighth grade, but never gave up on her dream of going to college despite her struggles with poverty, abuse and depression. When her kids were in their teens, she decided to take classes at a community center where she received her GED. She then came to Community College of Philadelphia. &dquo;I had no idea that I could even attend college when I walked in here," Anderson said. &dquo;I was just praying that something would work out. I never imagined the opportunities that would come my way." Today, she is president of the College's Student Government Association and a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.

Charles Williams of Germantown

Williams, 37, a high school dropout who despite having the family demands of four children, followed the footsteps of his wife, who obtained her associate's degree in Nursing and is now a nurse. Williams utilized his GED, came to the College and now expects to graduate with honors and transfer to Arcadia University in the fall with a four-year scholarship worth more than $60,000. Williams plans to become a high school teacher and work with troubled youth. "I want to help inner city teens because when I was in high school, I did not take advantage of it. The first time I heard the term SAT, I was in my 20s."

Diego Chiri of Northeast Philadelphia, an International student from Lima, Peru

Chiri, 20, and his mother came to the United States from Lima, Peru in 2006. They came to join Chiri's father who was already in Philadelphia studying for his doctorate at Temple University. After taking English as a Second Language classes at the College, Chiri hit his stride. He will receive a degree in Liberal Arts, with highest honors and a 3.94 grade point average. At the College, he is a student ambassador, president of the Latin American Students Organization, editor of Limited Editions Magazine, and vice president of the Photography Club.

College Administrators and Staff

None of these students could have succeeded without the behind-the-scenes efforts of the College's talented and dedicated administrators and staff, some of whom have been recognized locally and nationally. The following are two examples:

Lynette Brown-Sow, the College's vice president of Marketing and Government Relations, was named national Communicator of the Year on Oct. 27 by the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations, which has more than 1,500 members from nearly 600 colleges in the United States, Canada and other countries.

Francesco McCarthy, 96, the oldest staff member at the College, who after earning degrees in Philosophy, Organic Chemistry and Library Science from Catholic University, the University of Delaware and Villanova University, respectively, and having retired three times from previous careers, is retiring from the College this year after working for 25 years in the College library.