Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mount St. Mary's University has postponed its 212th Commencement exercises, originally planned for 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, until a time when large-group gatherings are permitted and safe to hold. An announcement is expected by June 1 on plans for commencement. In the interim, degrees are being conferred for 548 graduates as they complete final exams and meet the requirements for graduation. The university is celebrating the Class of 2020 in multiple ways this week, culminating in the release of a video in which degrees are conferred at 11 a.m. on May 16.
Earlier this week, Provost Boyd Creasman recorded a video celebrating the seniors who won academic awards, and it can be viewed on the Celebrating the Class of 2020 webpage. This webpage provides links to planned events as well as letters from President Timothy E. Trainor, Ph.D., and commencement speaker and honorary degree recipient Heath P. Tarbert. In addition, the webpage spotlights senior honors projects, athletic achievements and other accomplishments.
Joining with cadets from Hood and McDaniel Colleges, Mount St. Mary's seven cadets will participate in the ROTC Commissioning Ceremony, a live virtual event at 1 p.m. Friday, May 15. Later on May 15, a Senior Celebration Kick-Off Mass will be livestreamed on the university's Facebook page at 5 p.m. from the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception. The Saturday, May 16 video will be sent to graduates and their families as well as shared on the university's social media channels. T
Master’s graduates:
Commencement Speaker - Heath P. Tarbert, CFA, CPA
Heath P. Tarbert, C'98, is chairman and chief executive of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. He was nominated for a term expiring on April 13, 2024, and took office on July 15, 2019. The mission of the CFTC is to promote the integrity, resilience, and vibrancy of the U.S. derivatives markets through sound regulation. Chairman Tarbert has extensive experience in financial services law and has served in senior leadership roles in the public and private sector. Most recently, he served as Assistant Secretary for International Markets and subsequently as acting Under Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In these roles, Chairman Tarbert served as the G-7/G-20 Deputy Finance Minister, a member of the Financial Stability Board, and the co-chair of both the US-EU Financial Regulatory Forum and the US-UK Financial Regulatory Working Group. Prior to his service at the Treasury Department, Chairman Tarbert was head of the bank regulatory practice of Allen & Overy LLP, a leading global law firm.
Notable graduates, listed in alphabetical order:
Veronica Balick
Balick, a biology and biochemistry major with a minor in mathematics, is the first Mount undergraduate student to secure a Fulbright Research/Study Award. Her award will fully fund a one-year Msc in cancer immunology and biotechnology at the University of Nottingham. As a junior, Balick was named a 2019-20 Barry M. Goldwater Scholar. She also won competitive summer internships in an immunology lab at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research. She won the Edward J. Flanagan Memorial Prize, which is awarded to the graduating undergraduate student who best represents the traditions of Mount St. Mary's in scholarship, conduct and leadership, as well as the Bishop Allen Memorial Prize, awarded to the student with the highest scholastic average throughout his or her undergraduate career.
After graduation - One-year Msc in cancer immunology and biotechnology at the University of Nottingham.
Susanna Goergen
Goergen, a political science major, will intern this summer at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, Office of Management and Policy as a program analyst before beginning law school in the fall. She served as a resident assistant for three years and studied abroad in Prague.
After graduation - Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America.
William Milline
When Milline chose the Mount's adult undergraduate program, he was just out of the military with no career path. He earned an adult undergraduate degree in business in 2018 and now two years later he holds an MBA from the Mount. In his position at the Department of Veteran Affairs, he supports more than 377,000 employees and over 18.2 million military veterans.
After graduation - Contract specialist, Department of Veteran Affairs.
Sam Shinn
An accounting major and a track and field athlete, Shinn said that his degree in accounting has opened up various career opportunities and provided him with multiple job offers to choose from after graduation. He accepted the offer from the company where he interned in the summer of 2019. After graduating in December 2019, he started his job at Northrop Grumman and also began pursuing an MBA from the Mount.
After graduation - Business analyst at Northrop Grumman.
Fabiola Solorzano
Solorzano, an elementary education major, served as president of the Student Organization for Latinos for two years and also was active as a leader of the Activities Management Program. She received the Dr. Judy Ramoy Johnstone Endowed Prize, chosen by the faculty as the senior teacher candidate who embodies the qualities of leadership, initiative, creative thinking, respect for others and a love of literacy and demonstrates excellence in teaching and service to the university, school and home communities.
After graduation - First grade teacher, Montgomery County (MD) Public Schools.
Seven cadets from the Mount’s Class of 2020 will be commissioned. They include John Bush, Reid Clingerman, Shannon McCloskey, Shaun Miller, Andrew Schupp, Ana Camacho-Tibaquira and Emily Wood. The cadets will commission as second lieutenant officers and serve on active duty, in the Army Reserve or with the National Guard. Clingerman, who received the Lancer Award for outstanding performance and exemplary leadership in the Mount's ROTC program, will attend the Quartermaster Officer Basic Course and then be assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division, Sustainment Brigade at Camp Humphreys in South Korea. McCloskey is a Distinguished Military Graduate and will attend the Air Defense Artillery Officer Basic Course and then be assigned to the 1st Air Defense Artillery Battalion at Kadena Air Base in Japan.