Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. will be the keynote commencement speaker at the College of Charleston’s 2009 Winter Commencement ceremony to be held on December 19, 2009. The ceremony will be held in the school’s Carolina First Arena starting at 10 a.m.
First elected Mayor in December 1975, Mayor Riley is serving an unprecedented ninth term. Under his leadership, Charleston has increased its commitment to racial harmony and progress, achieved a substantial decrease in crime, experienced a remarkable revitalization of its historic downtown business district, seen the creation and growth of Spoleto Festival U.S. A., built the beautiful Waterfront Park, developed nationally-acclaimed affordable housing, and experienced unprecedented growth in Charleston’s size and population. Mayor Riley has led a city government with an impressive record of innovation in public safety, housing, arts and culture, children’s issues, the creation of park and other public spaces, and economic revitalization and development. The City of Charleston is recognized as one of the most livable and progressive cities in the United States.
Honorary degrees will also be presented to Mary Jackson and Mel Marvin.
Jackson is the founding member of the Mt. Pleasant Sweetgrass Basket Makers’ Association. Her work has been exhibited at numerous institutions throughout the U. S, including
the Smithsonian Art Museum, the Museum of Arts and Design in N. Y., the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Museum of African American History in Detroit.
Marvin is a 1962 graduate of the College of Charleston. He is a veteran in the theatre, with over a hundred musical, incidental and operatic scores to his credit.
He received a Tony nomination as a co-author of Tintypes and also wrote the music for the Broadway productions of Yentl and A History of the American Film. He has had nine shows produced Off-Broadway,
Over 475 undergraduate and over 70 graduate students will receive degrees during the ceremony.
The College of Charleston is a public liberal arts and sciences university located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770, the College is among the nation’s top universities for quality education, student life and affordability. With more than 11,000 students, the College of Charleston offers the distinctive combination of a beautiful and historic campus, modern facilities and cutting-edge programs.
