PAU Commencement Speakers Announced for June Ceremonies

Palo Alto University has announced its commencement speakers for graduation ceremonies taking place in June. Over 200 students will receive degrees from Palo Alto University’s doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s programs. Michelle Fine, Ph.D., will give the commencement address during doctoral ceremonies on June 8. Malik S. Henfield, Ph.D., will give the commencement address during ceremonies on June 22. Honorary degrees will be presented to both speakers.   Doctoral Commencement Dr. Fine is a Distinguished Professor of Critical Psychology, Women’s Studies and Urban Education at the Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY). She is also the founding co-director of The Public Science Project at the Graduate Center at CUNY, a research collective of academics, educators, activists, and community members dedicated to participatory action research rooted in social movements. Her work includes a research project that is nationally recognized as the primary empirical basis for the contemporary college in prison movement. She is the author or co-author of more than 15 books and 100 articles. Dr. Fine will receive an honorary degree from PAU.   Over 100 students will receive degrees from PAU’s Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program and the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium. Dr. Fine will recognize the academic excellence of the doctoral degree recipients and their commitment to serving our communities. PAU students have contributed thousands of hours in our communities working with veterans, immigrant families, LGBTQ communities, schools, and countless others, and many will continue their public service after leaving the halls of PAU.   Master’s and Undergraduate Commencement  Dr. Malik S. Henfield will assume the position of Dean for of the School of Education at Loyola University Chicago on July 1. He is currently Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Research, and Faculty Advancement at the University Of San Francisco School Of Education. As a counselor educator, Dr. Henfield has worked to diversify the counseling profession to better reflect current demographics. He has researched and consulted on these topics in Atlanta Public Schools, the Baltimore City Public School System, the Oakland Unified School District, and the San Francisco Unified School District, among others. In addition to his professional administrative experience, Dr. Henfield is a full professor and has taught courses in urban school counseling and multicultural education focused on elementary, middle, high school and post-secondary settings.   Over 100 students will graduate from PAU’s M.A. in Counseling program. Students who finished their coursework in the fall of 2018, winter 2019 and spring 2019 are included in the graduation ceremony. Students graduating from the program are eligible to become licensed as professional clinical counselors and as marriage and family therapists.   Seven students from PAU’s M.S. in Psychology program will receive their diplomas this year. Another nine students will be moving into PAU’s Ph.D. in Psychology program.  The M.S. program is designed to prepare students for doctoral programs or careers in community college teaching, research, and related business and nonprofit fields.   PAU’s B.S. degree programs in Psychology & Social Action and in Business Psychology will graduate 60 students during commencement ceremonies. The bachelor’s programs are a pathway for transfer students who have completed two years of course work at a community college and then transfer to PAU for upper level course work in order to complete their degree.