Seton Hall Celebrates 168th Commencement

Seton Hall University will celebrate its 168th Baccalaureate Commencement at 9 a.m., Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at the Prudential Center, 165 Mulberry Street in Newark, New Jersey. Delivering the commencement keynote address and receiving an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters will be Gary Cohen, one of the most highly respected sportscasters at the professional and college levels. The Baccalaureate Ceremony will be livestreamed on the University’s Commencement website.

Adorned in Pirate blue amidst pomp and circumstance, the University will graduate 1,232 students with Baccalaureate degrees, 700 with honors. In addition, 815 graduate students will receive master’s and doctorate degrees this commencement season, making the total number of graduates this year 2,047. Separate ceremonies will be held for the University’s graduate students, with details and locations for individual colleges and schools available on the Commencement website.

Cardinal Joseph William Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark and University Chair, Board of Trustees and President, University Board of Regents, will deliver the Invocation to the Class of 2024.

Presenting the Charge to the graduates and their guests will be Interim University President Katia Passerini, Ph.D.

Keynote Address and Honorary Degree Recipients

The keynote address will be delivered by Gary Cohen. Known primarily as the New York Mets' radio and television play-by-play announcer, Cohen has also called Seton Hall basketball games for more than 20 years.

At the Commencement, he will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters alongside Sister Raffaella Petrini, F.S.E., a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist and Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State. Sister Petrini was appointed as Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State by Pope Francis in November 2021.

Valedictorian

Students achieving the highest GPA from each college and school were invited to participate in a process to select a valedictorian to deliver a commencement address that reflects on the meaning of their Seton Hall experience and how it has led to a special vision for the future. From this process, a student to give the valedictory address was chosen, as well as two alternates.

The Valedictory Address will be delivered by Olivia McCue, a Nursing Major and Women and Gender Studies Minor. She is from Pinehurst, North Carolina. During her time at Seton Hall, Olivia served on the Educational Policy and Academic Integrity Committees for the College of Nursing. She is also a proud member of Sigma Theta Tau. Her research includes feeding practices in children with cerebral palsy and maternal mortality in birthing people of color. After graduating, Olivia will be moving to Washington, D.C., to work as a registered nurse in the Cardiovascular Institute at George Washington University Hospital. She hopes to one day become a Nurse Practitioner.

Alternate Speaker Mark Walier is from Holmdel, New Jersey, and is graduating from the Stillman School of Business with a dual-major in Finance and IT Management and a minor in Wealth Management. Mark captained the men’s soccer team and was a key player in their 2021 Big East Championship. He was a member of the Buccino Leadership Institute and his class’s Buccino Scholar. Mark served as Tech Editor for The Stillman Exchange and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Chief of Staff. Additional accolades include his four-time selection as Seton Hall’s "Scholar-Athlete of the Year" and a CFA Research Challenge Regional Championship. Post-graduation, Mark will join Citigroup as a trader in New York City. 

Alternate Speaker Ryan Thomas Rudnick is a legacy student from Monroe Township, New Jersey. He pursued dual majors in Quantitative Economics and IT Management, with minors in Mathematics and Data Analytics. As President of Consult Your Community, he supported local women and minority-owned small businesses through pro bono consulting. Ryan tutored for the Educational Opportunity Program and student athletics, while actively engaging in the Student Alumni Association and Stillman Mentorship Program. He earned inductions into Beta Gamma Sigma, the Economics Honor Society, Pi Mu Epsilon, and the NJCBAA Honor Society. Post-graduation, Ryan will embark on his career journey as a Global Technology Rotational Associate at Prudential Financial.

For more information about the speakers and updates on Seton Hall’s 168th Baccalaureate Ceremony, please visit our Commencement website.

Categories: Campus Life