{"id":22,"date":"2019-07-17T18:17:47","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:17:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wcsu.wpengine.com\/news-archives\/2009commencementspeakers\/"},"modified":"2019-07-17T18:17:47","modified_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:17:47","slug":"2009commencementspeakers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/2009commencementspeakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsweek columnist, Conn. higher ed commissioner to be featured speakers at WCSU commencement ceremonies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DANBURY, CONN. <\/strong>\u2014 Western Connecticut State University will confer degrees upon 981 undergraduates, 174 graduate students and three doctoral candidates at the university\u2019s 111th commencement ceremonies next weekend. <\/p>\n

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Michael P. Meotti, commissioner of Higher Education in Connecticut, will speak to students receiving graduate and doctoral degrees at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 22, in the Feldman Arena of the William O\u2019Neill Athletic and Convocation Center on the university\u2019s Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Ext. in Danbury. Newsweek columnist, author and television analyst Jonathan Alter will focus on leadership themes during his talk at the undergraduate ceremony at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 24, in the Westside Athletic Complex, also on the university\u2019s Westside campus.<\/p>\n


\n Meotti, who was named commissioner in March 2008, oversees the department of Higher Education, which develops public polices to guide Connecticut\u2019s higher education system of community colleges and universities. When he was appointed, Meotti said he looked forward to helping Connecticut build upon its educational foundation.<\/p>\n

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\n\u201cHigher education provides a strong foundation for both personal success and the economic competitiveness of our state,\u201d Meotti said. \u201cLike many families throughout Connecticut, members of my family have been fortunate to pursue college degrees that my grandparents would never have imagined to be possible. The availability of quality public colleges and universities and student financial aid made that possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Meotti has an extensive background in public policy, having served as president of United Way of Connecticut and president of the Connecticut Policy and Economic Council. He served eight years in the state senate during which he was assistant majority leader and vice-chair of the Education Committee.<\/p>\n

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\n The commissioner counts among his accomplishments a report that points to potential weaknesses in Connecticut\u2019s support of education. For instance, while the state is ranked among the top five in income and education level, many students are not ready for college-level math or English courses and need to take remedial classes.<\/p>\n

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\n Meotti credits the program that WestConn has forged with Danbury and Bethel high schools, called \u201cBuilding a Bridge to Improve Student Success,\u201d as a model to address the weakness of some college students. It pairs high school teachers and college professors to ensure students are ready for college-level work.<\/p>\n

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\n Alter writes a column for Newsweek that examines politics, media and social and global issues. He also is a contributing correspondent on NBC News and his 2006 book, \u201cThe Defining Moment: FDR\u2019s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope,\u201d was a national bestseller.<\/p>\n

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Alter will speak about leadership themes he learned while researching Franklin Roosevelt, such as the importance of optimism and hope, and discuss how they might relate to Barack Obama\u2019s presidency. <\/p>\n

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The 2008 campaign was the seventh presidential election Alter has covered for Newsweek. He frequently interviews American presidents and other world leaders, regularly breaks news and has authored more than 50 Newsweek cover stories on everything from shrinking confidence in the American news media, to Bill Clinton\u2019s first interview after leaving the presidency. He\u2019s also written about Barack Obama\u2019s first magazine cover before he arrived in the U.S. Senate and his own personal story of living with cancer. Beyond politics and media, he has written extensively over the years about terrorism, anti-Semitism, at-risk children, national service and a wide variety of other issues.<\/p>\n

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As Alter wrote in \u201cThe Defining Moment,\u201d Roosevelt \u201crevived the spirits of a stricken nation. \u2026 FDR\u2019s stunning debut in office was the flowering not just of versatile thinking but of brilliant instincts for leadership. Who influenced him? How did he grow himself into a surpassingly inspirational figure? What grand mixture of timing, cunning and character gave him and his generation what he later called a \u2018rendezvous with destiny\u2019 \u201d?<\/p>\n

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Alter joined Newsweek as an associate editor in the Nation section in March 1983, and became media critic the following year. He was named a senior writer in February 1987 and a senior editor in September 1991. For two years prior to joining Newsweek, Alter was an editor at The Washington Monthly. He has also freelanced articles for such publications as The New Republic, Esquire, Slate and The New York Times. Besides \u201cThe Defining Moment,\u201d Alter is coauthor of \u201cSelecting a President\u201d and the coeditor of \u201cInside the System.\u201d <\/p>\n

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For more information, call the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.<\/p>\n

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Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England\u2019s best small private universities.
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DANBURY, CONN. \u2014 Western Connecticut State University will confer degrees upon 981 undergraduates, 174 graduate students and three doctoral candidates at the university\u2019s 111th commencement ceremonies next weekend. Michael P. Meotti, commissioner of Higher …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-22","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}