Kean University

Volume 1
Issue 11
K E A N
G R A D U A T E C O M M E N C E M E N T 2 0 0 9

A Brave and Startling Truth
MAYA ANGELOU — American Poet, Author and Actress
We, this people, on a small and lonely planet
Traveling through casual space
Past aloof stars, across the way of indifferent suns
To a destination where all signs tell us
It is possible and imperative that we learn
A brave and startling truth
And when we come to it
To the day of peacemaking
When we release our fingers
From fists of hostility
And allow the pure air to cool our palms
When we come to it
When the curtain falls on the minstrel show of hate
And faces sooted with scorn are scrubbed clean
When battlefields and coliseum
No longer rake our unique and particular sons and daughters
Up with the bruised and bloody grass
To lie in identical plots in foreign soil
When the rapacious storming of the churches
The screaming racket in the temples have ceased
When the pennants are waving gaily
When the banners of the world tremble
Stoutly in the good, clean breeze
When we come to it
When we let the rifles fall from our shoulders
And children dress their dolls in flags of truce
When land mines of death have been removed
And the aged can walk into evenings of peace
When religious ritual is not perfumed
By the incense of burning flesh
And childhood dreams are not kicked awake
By nightmares of abuse
When we come to it
Then we will confess that not the Pyramids
With their stones set in mysterious perfection
Nor the Gardens of Babylon
Hanging as eternal beauty
In our collective memory
Not the Grand Canyon
Kindled into delicious color
By Western sunsets
Nor the Danube, flowing its blue soul into Europe
Not the sacred peak of Mount Fuji
Stretching to the Rising Sun
Neither Father Amazon nor Mother Mississippi who, without favor,
Nurture all creatures in the depths and on the shores
These are not the only wonders of the world
When we come to it
We, this people, on this minuscule and kithless globe
Who reach daily for the bomb, the blade and the dagger
Yet who petition in the dark for tokens of peace
We, this people on this mote of matter
In whose mouths abide cankerous words
Which challenge our very existence
Yet out of those same mouths
Come songs of such exquisite sweetness
That the heart falters in its labor
And the body is quieted into awe
We, this people, on this small and drifting planet
Whose hands can strike with such abandon
That in a twinkling, life is sapped from the living
Yet those same hands can touch with such healing, irresistible tenderness
That the haughty neck is happy to bow
And the proud back is glad to bend
Out of such chaos, of such contradiction
We learn that we are neither devils nor divines
When we come to it
We, this people, on this wayward, floating body
Created on this earth, of this earth
Have the power to fashion for this earth
A climate where every man and every woman
Can live freely without sanctimonious piety
Without crippling fear
When we come to it
We must confess that we are the possible
We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world
That is when, and only when
We come to it.
Dr. Maya Angelou recited a version of this poem at the 2009 graduate
commencement ceremony. This poem was originally written and
delivered in honor of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations.
KEANFOCUS • VOLUME 1, ISSUE 11 Page 1

Rainbows in the Clouds
Labeled as “rainbows in the clouds,’’ more than 700 graduates of Kean
University’s Nathan Weiss Graduate College climbed another rung
of academic success, obtaining degrees at commencement ceremonies
on May 12 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.
“This is some occasion for all of you tonight,’’ said Kean University
President Dawood Farahi. “Your perseverance has helped make this
day a spectacular day. I want to thank all the people who helped
you get here, whether it’s your mom, dad, wife, husband, daughter,
son, a friend or of course, the great faculty at Kean.’’
Farahi challenged the grads to focus on the “we’’ in any work they do.
“We need men and women who can dream of things that never were. Get yourself a dream that’s
worth fighting for. If you do that, you’ll make yourself proud and your family proud, and the rewards
will be tremendous.” — PRESIDENT DAWOOD FARAHI
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Maya Angelou — Commencement Speaker
Commencement speaker Maya Angelou, acclaimed author and poet,
told the graduates that they are like “rainbows in the clouds’’ and possess
in their future the possibility to change the world.
“Here you are in this excitement,’’ Angelou told the audience.
“But, remember there is a world of difference between being
trained and educated. Being educated is a lifetime adventure.’’
During her address, Angelou recited a poem she wrote for the
graduating class (see page 1).
M
ore than 30 years ago, author and poet extraordinaire Maya Angelou
said she received one of her first honorary doctorate degrees from
Kean University.
While delivering the commencement address for the 2009 class in Kean’s
Nathan Weiss Graduate College, Angelou joked that she hopes another 30
years won’t pass by before receiving another Kean invitation.
Through a distinguished career filled with countless highlights, Angelou,
80, said she continues to be a student of the world.
“Every part of my journey reasonates with these students,’’ she said, referring
to the grads. “I’m in process, just as they are. I never feel like I’m
finished with the business of educating. I’m in school right now, studying
divinity in an online eight-week course.’’
A St. Louis native, Angelou has been called one of the most visible
and best-known chroniclers of the African-American experience
through her series of six autobiographical books and thought-provoking
works of poetry.
She came to prominence in 1969 with her first book, I Know Why The
Caged Bird Sings, which documented the toils and triumphs during her
first 17 years of life. Before the book’s release, however, Angelou was
very active in the Civil Rights Movement, with slain civil rights icon Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. appointing her to serve as northern coordinator
of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Angelou’s volume of poetry, Just Give me a Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Diiie
was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. During the 1990s, she emerged as a
popular presence on the lecture circuit, making more than 80 appearances
a year. In 1993, at President William Jefferson Clinton’s inauguration, she
became the first poet to recite a poem, On The Pulse of Morning, since Robert
Frost did so at John F. Kennedy’s swearing in.
During her commencement address to graduate students, Angelou said
she hoped their degrees would help them to not only earn more but to
be better people.
"Education serves you so you can be of service.
I'm always skittish when people say, 'I don't want
Click here to see and hear
Maya Angelou's inspiring
commencement address.
to be used.' To me, anybody that doesn't want to
be used is useless. What you don't want to be is
misused or abused.''
— MAYA ANGELOU
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Wilf Builds a Legacy of
Philantrophic Proportions
Just as credible as his reputation for building homes and
shopping centers across the country, Joseph Wilf has established
a formidable identity as one of the country’s most notable
philanthropists.
Joseph Wilf’s propensity for charitable giving hasn’t gone
unnoticed at Kean University. Through the Wilf Family
Foundation, more than 100 students have been awarded
scholarships.
At commencement ceremonies for graduate students, Kean
conferred an honorary doctorate degree to Wilf, who has
served on the university’s Board of Trustees for more than 15
years. Wilf’s wife, Elizabeth, sons, Mark and Zygi (principal
owner of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings) and Zygi’s wife,
Audrey, looked on as Wilf accepted the prestigious honor.
Eugene Enlow, chair of Kean's Board of Trustees, called Wilf
a perfect example of "loyalty, dedication and commitment.''
"Joe has never forgotten his heritage and how it shapes the
course of his life,'' Enslow said. "He has been instrumental
in educating our students about tolerance and the sanctity
of human rights.''
A Holocaust survivor, Wilf emigrated to the U.S. from
Poland in 1950. Four years later, Wilf and his brother, Harry,
founded Garden Homes, Inc., which under their nurturing
blossomed into a national leader in retail, commercial and
private residential development.
Aside from success in business, Wilf and his family have
played major roles in the world of philantrophy. Through
the family’s foundation, funds have been donated to such
worthy causes as United Way, the American Cancer Society,
Saint Barnabas Medical Center and the Elizabeth General
Medical Center.
Within the Jewish community, the Wilfs have also led by
example, founding the American Society of Yad Vashem
and supporting groups such as the United Jewish Appeal,
Israel Bonds and the Jewish Education Center of Elizabeth.
Wilf is also a founding member of the U.S. Holocaust Museum
in Washington, D.C.
and the Kean University
Holocaust
Resource Center.
KEANFOCUS • VOLUME 1, ISSUE 11 Page 4

> > >
Feeling Accomplished
and Honored
Before the ceremony, graduates and friends Gila Rosenbaum, Loralee
Gross and Sara Sultan expressed how elated they were to finally reach
graduation day. Emblazoned on their mortar boards were the letters
“OTR,’’ which stands for Occupational Therapy Research, the program
for which they received degrees.
“We feel very accomplished today,’’ Rosenbaum, of Staten Island, said
with a laugh. “The toughest part was all the research projects.’’
Social work graduates Shataiya Fullman, Anita Blount and Corrine
Rose said they’ll miss hanging together while completing group projects.
“I want to open up my own private practice,’’ Rose said. “I expect
that will be difficult but I am headstrong and confident since I’ve
gotten to this point.’’
President Farahi took a moment to acknowledge two special graduates,
the husband and wife team of Patrick and Susan Magee.
> > >
“For the first time in the history of the university, a married couple
is getting degrees together tonight,’’ Farahi confirmed, referring to
the Magees. “If you can make it through classes at the same time,
then I believe your marriage will stay intact!’’
Also during the ceremony, businessman and Kean Board of Trustees
member Joseph Wilf received an honorary doctorate degree for contributions
to Kean University and other philanthropic activities.
“Joe has been steadfast in his loyalty to Kean,’’ said Eugene Enlow, chair
of Kean’s Board of Trustees. “He’s given Kean students the opportunity
to follow their dreams. And opportunity is the one thing parents and all
of us hope for our children. Joe is a model recipient for an honorary degree
and one of the real gentlemen of this world.’’
Check out the electrifying
dance performance.
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< < <
Dancers put their best foot forward to entertain the
graduation crowd with a rousing dance performance
of Jump, Jive an' Wail.

Keen Sense of Commitment
Helped Them Achieve
Ronique Raysor, who earned a master’s degree in public administration,
plans to work in a probation or parole office. She called Kean a
wonderful institution with faculty “that’s great at helping you achieve
the desire you want.’’ Raysor, 25, also received her undergraduate degree
from Kean.
> > >
Sandette Raysor, Roniques’ mother, said she was overwhelmed with
joy about her daughter’s accomplishment.
“She’s broken the cycle in my family,’’ by earning the degree, she said.
“And she’s paving the way for her younger sister. She’s always been
very committed.’’
Katalin Gyurian, 28, and Monika Grzegorzek, 26, have known each
other for only two years. However, through Kean’s Instruction and
Curriculum graduate program, they’ve bonded into “adopted sisters.’’
Gyurian, of East Brunswick, and Grzegorzek, of Linden, worked together
on a thesis — Input Modification and English as a Second Language
Reading Comprehension — to complete their master’s work.
< < <
Gina Palencia graduated with
distinction and addressed her peers
at the commencement ceremony.
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Keen Sense of Commitment Helped Them Achieve
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6)
“We want to write a book together but first we need to take a year’s
break,’’ Gyurian said.
For both Gyurian and Grzegorzek, embracing English as a second language
is their reality: Gyurian is from Hungary and Grzegorzek hails
from Poland.
In their classes at Kean, the pair became notorious for being meticulous
about preparing for their academic work, Gyurian said.
“One professor used to tell us, ‘If Katalin and
Monika don’t have any questions, then I know I
have covered it all.’’’ — Katalin Gyurian
Lisa Glover and Richard Khan both decided to return to pursue graduate
schools after reaching a peak in their perspective careers.
Glover, of Bayonne, and Khan, from Jersey City, received Kean graduate
degrees in psychology.
> > >
“It seems like it took me more time figuring out how to go back to
school than it actually took to get it,’’ said Glover, who worked in
corporate communications and has a journalism undergraduate degree.
Glover said she wants to continue in a marriage and therapy program
and ultimately become a therapist.
“I’m grateful that there have been people like Richard (Khan) in my
path to be a good buddy,’’ she said. “He helped me through statistics
and provided a lot of support.’’
Likewise, Khan said having Glover as a study friend was a new experience
for him.
“I’ve always been the kind of person who liked to study alone,’’ he
said. “But in a program like this, you need a study friend and that’s
what Lisa has been.’’
Khan, a former business executive, said he decided to pursue psychology
because “it clicks with me. I’ve always been like the good
friend or family member to talk to. But I found out that’s really
called psychology.’’
Check out pics of the graduate school commencement.
< < <
Stephanie Chelston raises
her voice while singing
The Star-Spangled Banner
KEANFOCUS • VOLUME 1, ISSUE 11 Page 7

Photo Gallery
KEANFOCUS • VOLUME 1, ISSUE 11 Page 8

NJPAC
GRADUATE
COMMENCEMENT
Kean Focus is produced by the
Office of Media & Publications.
You may send comments to
keanfocus@exchange.kean.edu.
KEANFOCUS • VOLUME 1, ISSUE 11