Saturday
July 27, 2024 
Bucks County Community College celebrate its 53rd annual commencement Thursday, May 23, by welcoming alumnus Brian Delate, an actor, director and playwright, as commencement speaker.
The ceremony gets underway at 6 p.m. in the Gymnasium on the campus at 275 Swamp Road, Newtown, Pa.
Delate, a member of the college’s seventh graduating class of 1973, overcame being told he “just wasn’t college material” to earning two college degrees and becoming a successful actor, director and playwright. After serving in combat in Vietnam, Delate enrolled at Bucks, where professors helped him address a longtime reading problem, and he discovered his passion for acting.
He went on to Rider University, launched his stage and television acting career in New York City, and then moved to Hollywood for more movie and directing roles. He’s worked on such notable films as “Jacknife,” “The Truman Show,” and “The Shawshank Redemption.”
The college will recognize Delate’s achievements by granting him an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree, to be presented by college president Dr. Stephanie Shanblatt and Board of Trustees Chair Elizabeth Fineberg.
The class of 2019 – which totals 1,051 – will also hear from one of its own. Sylvia Salas was selected to address her classmates in recognition of her outstanding achievements.
Salas is graduating with an associate degree in psychology and plans to transfer to Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia.
In addition, the Bucks County Community College Alumni Association will present its Alumni Achievement Awards during the ceremony to the following people:
– President’s Distinguished Service Award: Lynne Kelleher, Class of 1981, Realtor;
– Community Service Award: Erica J. Hellerstein, Class of 2014, occupational therapist, community healthcare outreach volunteer;
– Professional Achievement Award: Jo Ciavaglia, Class of 1989, award-winning investigative reporter;
– Centurion Award: Donna Wilkoski, Class of 1980, director, Financial Aid.
The ceremony will feature live music from the Bucks County Community College Madrigal Singers performing the national anthem and the college’s alma mater. In addition, professor Jeff Baumeister will lead the Bucks Graduation Ensemble in performing his own jazzy arrangement of “Pomp and Circumstance.” Dr. Maureen McCreadie, a professor who is retiring after more than 40 years of service to Bucks, will serve as commencement marshal. McCreadie and two other retiring professors – Earl Arrowood and Linda Lynch-McKenna – will be named Professors Emeriti during the ceremony.
Nursing graduates will also be honored with a pinning ceremony at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 22 in the Gymnasium. The 60 students who completed the college’s associate degree nursing program are poised to become registered nurses upon completion of state licensing exams.
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