Marist to Graduate 1,557 at Two Commencements
PBS NewsHour Co-Anchor Judy Woodruff and Bloomberg View Columnist Al Hunt to deliver joint undergraduate address – first husband-and-wife team to do so at Marist.
CBS News Producer Alvin Patrick ’86 to Speak at Graduate and Adult Ceremony
The first husband-and-wife team to deliver the College’s Commencement address, each has forged their own exemplary journalism careers, rising to the top of the fields of national reporting/anchoring and political coverage/commentary, respectively. In addition to their professional accomplishments, the couple fundraise for spina bifida research and advocate for families, who – like theirs – have children with the condition.
Alvin Patrick ’86 will address graduates at the adult and graduate Commencement on Friday, May 22. He will be awarded the Distinguished Alumni Medal, the highest award presented to a Marist graduate. As specials producer for CBS News, Patrick works with special correspondent James Brown to craft important, high-profile stories for audiences across all CBS News platforms – including iconic programs like 60 Minutes, the CBS Evening News, Sunday Morning, and CBS This Morning.
Marist College President Dennis J. Murray will confer a total of 1,557 degrees during the two ceremonies, which are both scheduled to take place on the campus green. On Friday evening, 140 adult students will receive bachelor’s degrees, while 267 students will receive master’s degrees. On Saturday, 1,150 traditional undergraduates will be awarded their bachelor’s degrees.
Approximately 2,000 family members, friends, and other visitors are expected to attend the May 22 Commencement, while an additional 10,000 guests are due to come to the Marist campus the following day.
About the Commencement Speakers:
Judy Woodruff is the co-anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour, along with Gwen Ifill. She has covered politics and other [Judy Woodruff] news for more than three decades at CNN, NBC, and PBS. For 12 years, Woodruff served as anchor and senior correspondent for CNN, where her duties included anchoring the weekday program Inside Politics.
At PBS from 1983 to 1993, she was the chief Washington correspondent for The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. From 1984 to 1990, she also anchored PBS's award-winning weekly documentary series, Frontline with Judy Woodruff.
At NBC News, Woodruff was White House correspondent from 1977 to 1982. For one year after that she served as NBC's Today show chief Washington correspondent. She wrote the book This is Judy Woodruff at the White House.
A pioneering woman broadcaster, Woodruff is a founding co-chair of the International Women's Media Foundation, an organization dedicated to promoting and encouraging women in communication industries worldwide. She serves on the boards of trustee of the Freedom Forum, the Newseum, the Duke Endowment, and the Urban Institute. She also serves as a member of the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. Woodruff is a graduate of Duke University, where she is a trustee emerita.
In 2014, she was awarded the Lowell Thomas Award by Marist College in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the communications field.
In his four decades at The Wall Street Journal, he was a reporter, bureau chief and executive Washington editor, and wrote the weekly column, "Politics & People."
Hunt also directed the Journal's polls, was president of the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, and a board member of the Ottaway community newspapers.
He was a panelist on the CNN programs "The Capital Gang" and "Novak, Hunt & Shields." He is co-author of books on U.S. elections by the American Enterprise Institute and the Brookings Institution.
His Bloomberg column also appears in the International New York Times and other newspapers
Alvin Patrick, Jr. ‘86 is a 26-year veteran of broadcast, digital and cable network television. He has produced news, sports, and entertainment programming at CBS, ABC, HBO, MTV, and ESPN. He is currently a specials producer for CBS News, where he produces stories across all CBS News platforms – including 60 Minutes, CBS Evening News, Sunday Morning, and CBS This Morning – with special correspondent James Brown.
Patrick began his career at ABC, where he served as a producer for ABC News’ World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, Good Morning America, Day One, and ABC Sports.
Patrick has received numerous awards for his work, including six Emmy award nominations, five National Association of Black Journalists awards, a Gabriel award, and a Freddie award.
He holds an MFA from Brooklyn College and a BA in communication arts from Marist. As a student at Marist, he was active with Marist College Television (MCTV), WMCR Radio, and the Black Student Union. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Marist’s School of Communication and the Arts
About Marist College
Located on the river in the historic Hudson River Valley and at its Florence, Italy branch campus, Marist College is a comprehensive, independent institution grounded in the liberal arts. Marist is dedicated to helping students develop the intellect, character, and skills required for enlightened, ethical, and productive lives in the global community of the 21st century. Marist is consistently recognized for excellence by top organizations like U.S. News & World Report (11th Best Regional University), The Princeton Review (The Best 379 Colleges), Kiplinger’s Personal Finance (Best Values in Private Colleges), and others. Though now independent, Marist remains committed to the ideals handed down from its founders, the Marist Brothers: excellence in education, a sense of community, and a commitment to service. Marist educates 4,500 traditional-age undergraduate students and over 1,400 adult and graduate students in 44 undergraduate majors and 12 graduate programs, including fully online MBA, MPA, MS, and MA degrees.
