2018 National Commencement Welcomes Dr. Cynthia Cherrey
Union Institute & University National Commencement is Saturday, October 6, 2018 at 11 a.m. at the Hilton Netherlands Plaza in downtown Cincinnati.
Graduating together is a son and mother, a married couple, a father hooding his son, and a mother hooding her son.
Union Ph.D. alumna Dr. Sharon E. Trekell will hood her son Gustav A. Otto and experience the joy of watching him follow her path with a Ph.D. “This is the thrill of a lifetime. I have always been incredibly proud of Gus as a son and a scholar. I don’t think I will be able to keep from crying.”
Married couple Antwan and Daniel McKenzie-Plez encouraged each other when the educational journey became stressful. “We found a strength and balance together that galvanized us forward,” said Daniel.
Dr. Cynthia Cherrey is the keynote. She is the president and CEO of the International Leadership Association (ILA), a global organization for people who practice, study, and teach leadership. Her interests and research explore new ways to live, work, and lead in a knowledge-driven, interdependent world. Recently she participated in a podcast series for Voice America’s business channel on global leadership with Maureen Metcalf, host of Innovative Leaders Driving Thriving Organizations. A sought-after advisor, Cynthia serves on the editorial boards of Asian Women and the President’s Advisory Group at Carnegie Mellon University. She is a Fellow at the World Business Academy, a Royal Society of the Arts Fellow, a former senior fellow at the James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership, and a recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship.
Degrees will be bestowed in the following areas: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Science, Doctor of Education, Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies, and Doctor of Psychology with a major in Clinical Psychology.
Union is sought after by adults because of its adult delivery model: Specialized distance-learning programs that combine online and classroom coursework with high-touch faculty attention, designed for students regardless of where they live and work. Union also has a long history of serving diverse populations: Minorities (44 percent), women (55 percent), and an older, adult population (average age of 37) and interweaves social justice in its curriculum.