The Class of 2006
More than 2,400 John Jay students joined the ranks of the Alumni Association on June 5th. The commencement ceremony held in Madison Square Garden marked the College's 41st graduation with more than 7,000 students, family, friends, faculty, alumni and guests in attendance. President Jeremy Travis told the graduates, "We know you will now use the strength and excellence you demonstrated at the College to enrich, strengthen, and improve the system of justice, nationally and internationally in positions of leadership in administration, law and a host of challenging public service or private industry careers." Honorary degrees were awarded to: Carol Gilligan, a pioneer in the field of gender studies and the psychological and moral development of girls; Woodie King Jr., president and producer of the New Federal Theater for his thought provoking works on on African-American theater and literature; Manning Marable, the founding director of the Columbia University Institute for Research in African-American Studies; Paul Chevigny for his pioneering work in the relationship between the citizen, the state, the role of police violence, and the politics of crime; and Herbert Sturz, a trustee of the Open Society Institute and chairman of the After-School Corporation who has devoted his career to improving the nation's criminal justice system. Awards were also given to faculty and staff including the Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award to Professor Effie Papatzikou Cochran of the English Department.

Celebrating a Unique Criminal Justice Partnership
The Lewis and Jack Rudin Partnership with John Jay College was celebrated at a gala dinner in May that raised more than $235,000. The Partnership channels private philanthropic funds to leading state and city criminal justice agencies with John Jay College acting as the nexus through which public and private needs are addressed. "The Partnership, which supports scholarly research directly serving the NYPD and other agencies of the criminal justice system, is really one of the bright lights in our city," noted Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg who was in attendance along with Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly and Correction and Probation Commissioner Martin F. Horn (MA'74). Guests were also treated to a performance by stage actress Liz Callaway, greetings from trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, and a video "Educating for Justice" narrated by former NBC News anchor, Tom Brokaw. Security executive, Jules B. Kroll, chairman of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Foundation, and Robert C. Sheehan, Executive Partner of the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, chaired the dinner. NY1 news anchor and political reporter, Dominic Carter, served as master of ceremony for the evening.

A Fond Farewell
To a packed house of well wishers, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Basil Wilson bid farewell to the College he has served for more than three decades at a May 16 reception. The Jamaican-born criminologist joined the faculty of John Jay in 1974 and became Provost in 1990. For Wilson, nothing was more important than students. "The College takes students from working-class backgrounds and turns them into scholars. It's an ennobling mission," he told the crowd, many of whom returned to the College that evening just to express their appreciation for his many contributions. A champion of diversity among faculty and students, Wilson is credited with helping to build a model institution based on civility and respect. Still the educator, he will teach sociology at CUNY's Graduate Center this fall.

Johanna King Vespe was the first recipient of the Imette St. Guillen Scholarship created to honor the memory of the 24-year old John Jay graduate student who was murdered in February 2006. Vespe, a graduate student working toward a master's degree in criminal justice, noted that, "Although I didn't know Imette, I saw a lot of parallels in our lives -- both in our 20s living in the city and interested in helping others." Vespe, who has volunteered with transitional services to prepare inmates for release, ultimately plans to enter the CUNY/John Jay PhD program in criminal justice. The scholarship provides full tuition, a book allowance and a modest stipend for a student in one of the College's graduate programs. The scholarship was made possible by generous donations from a wide array of institutions and individuals.

Graduation is always a time of recognizing student achievement and this year was no exception. Among the nearly four dozen student award winners were:

Elizabeth Perez
Graduating Scholar Award

Vrindavan D. Gabbard
The Leonard E. Reisman Medal

Kimberley T. Gray and Maximilian F. Schlubach
Science and Society Award

William A. Allen
Graduate Student Service Award

Nelson Tiburcio
The John A. Reisenbach Foundation Dissertation Prize




Alumni Day 2006
From the Class of '72 to the Class of '05, alumni came back to John Jay on June 17 to share memories, participate in an array of activities, mingle with faculty, and participate in the ceremonies marking the beginning of construction of the College's new building. Urging alumni to get involved, President Jeremy Travis told the crowd "that creating an infrastructure to find ways to stay tuned to each other for career purposes is an important priority" and expressed his hope that graduates "would forge a new and enhanced relationship with the College...Our present students look to you. Your success can be their success." He urged alumni to think about ways to get more actively involved with the College. Michael McCann (BS '75), President of the Alumni Association, emphasized that in an effort to expand the organization, everyone who graduates from the College automatically becomes a member of the Alumni Association. He also announced plans to form Association chapters in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

A Terrorism Update
The day's events included a lecture by Professor Chuck Strozier on "Al-Qaeda and the Internet: The Post 9/11 World of Violence." Strozier, Director of the College's Center on Terrorism, told the attentive crowd that before 9/11, Al-Qaeda's structure was on the order of a global corporation with parallel units headed by vice president equivalents. "After 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan there was a dispersal," according to Strozier, "Al-Qaeda is now more dangerous because it is not located in one place." The attack on the World Trade Center and the war also coincided with the increased sophistication of the internet and the web. "In 2000, there were a few hundred Islamic sites on the web. Within a year, it jumped to 4,000," he said. This changed Al-Qaeda from a hierarchal structure to a virtual network. Osama Bin Laden now provides inspiration rather than direct leadership with the web affording the perfect arena for right wing religious propaganda. "We should all be aware that in 2003 Bin Laden received a fatwa granting the spiritual right to the use of weapons of mass destruction in global jihad," he told the audience. "Al-Qaeda has become a global movement. Terrorist cells are now self-created comprising approximately eight people who tend to be homogenous."

Building the Future
Alumni Day was also the occasion of a ceremony marking the forthcoming razing of the parking garage behind Haaren Hall to allow for the College's expansion to a new building designed by Skidmore, Owens and Merrill, one of most renowned architectural firms in the country. "Can't you just feel it, can't you see what it will be like," President Travis told the crowd of alumni, faculty, and public officials in attendance. "It's been a long time coming and it marks a wonderful moment in the history of this remarkable institution. It's a time to celebrate together with students, faculty, and staff as well as our alumni who are part of the College's history The ceremony also honored Emma Espino Macari, recently retired CUNY Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning, Construction and Management, who was instrumental in tackling the numerous hurdles the project encountered. "I just couldn't miss this day," she said recalling that no other project on which she has worked had so many obstacles.

Gilbert Prince (BA '72) turned up for Alumni Day. He recalled applying to the College when it was it was Baruch School of Police Science. He was a Korean War veteran and a member of the NYPD. Taking advantage of veteran benefits and a Federal program, which gave educational benefits for police who pursued higher education, Prince, like so many others of his time, took advantage of the college's unique scheduling of courses that helped those with rotating shifts. Starting his police career in the 28th Precinct, Prince is now retired and spends much of his time working with charities "to try to give something back." For John Bishop (BS '82), the fondest memory of the College was the Thematic Studies Program. "The concepts gave me a broader look at the subject matter from a number of perspectives." Price works with the New York State Department of Correction in Sing Sing. After 26 years with the NYPD, Gregory Walsh (BS '03) retired from the Detective Bureau and now does corporate security for the A&E Network in midtown. For both policing and private security, Walsh feels that higher education particularly the study of history is very important. "It gives you a broader understanding of those with whom you come in contact," he said. Although he didn't get a job that required a college degree, Senior Court Officer Steve Pellicani (BS '83) of Nassau County noted that his John Jay education "...made a world of difference. It absolutely helps with all interactions in the workplace and elsewhere." Rafael Muniz (BA '05) and his young son, in a sense, went to John Jay together. When the responsibilities of fatherhood caused him to leave another branch of CUNY, he took a position with a major communications company because he needed a job with health insurance. After a few years, "I realized that I was only making enough to make ends meet and that motivated me to go back to school and pursue my dream of becoming an attorney." He enrolled at John Jay and at the same time enrolled his son in the College's day care center. "We went to Jay together." Having majored in Justice Studies, he will attend SUNY at Buffalo School of Law in August.