Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson, renowned choreographer Dianne McIntyre and Professor Emeritus Lewis E. Patterson to receive honorary degrees

CLEVELAND – Members of one of the largest graduating classes in Cleveland State University’s history – with a total of more than 2,100 students – will participate in CSU’s Spring Commencement on Saturday, May 11, with ceremonies at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. at the Bert L. and Iris S. Wolstein Center, located at 2000 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland.

Three Clevelanders will be recognized with honorary degrees for their outstanding achievements in public service, the arts, teaching and innovation:

• Honorary Doctor of Laws: The Honorable Frank G. Jackson, Mayor of Cleveland (afternoon ceremony)
• Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts: Dianne McIntyre (morning ceremony)
• Distinguished Emeritus Faculty Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters: Lewis E. Patterson, Ed.D. (afternoon ceremony)

The morning ceremony recognizes graduates of the colleges of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Engineering and Sciences and Health Professions. The afternoon ceremony recognizes graduates of the colleges of Business, Urban Affairs, Education and Human Services and the School of Nursing.

CSU President Ronald M. Berkman will deliver the commencement address at both ceremonies. Both will be preceded by a processional of graduates and faculty, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Honorary Degree Profiles

Mayor Frank G. Jackson
Mayor Jackson received his law degree from CSU’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He also earned his undergraduate and master's degrees at CSU. In 2006, he became the 56th mayor of Cleveland, presiding over an administration that has made great strides in education, public safety, city operations, neighborhood revitalization and the regional economy. Prior to that, he was an assistant city prosecutor and served 16 years on Cleveland City Council, including three years as council president. Mayor Jackson will receive an honorary doctor of laws during the afternoon ceremony.

Dianne McIntyre
Dianne McIntyre is a celebrated choreographer, performer and educator. Born and raised in Cleveland, she moved to New York City in 1970, where she launched the groundbreaking dance and music ensemble Sounds in Motion. Her choreography has graced stages from Broadway to London's West End, as well as film. McIntyre moved back to Cleveland in 2003. Four years later, she won a Guggenheim Fellowship. One of her most recent works, “Why I Dance,” originated as a choreographic study with a CSU dancer. McIntyre will receive an honorary doctorate of fine arts during the morning ceremony.

Lewis E. Patterson, Ed.D.
Deeply respected and widely admired by students and colleagues alike, Dr. Lewis E. Patterson taught counseling theory, career development, adult development and psychopharmacology, in addition to supervising community mental-health agencies and schools. He was a founding co-director and later director of doctoral studies in CSU’s College of Education and Human Services. He also was associate dean and interim dean of the College, as well as chair of the department now known as Counseling, Administration, Supervision and Adult Learning. He and his wife, Janice (a proud CSU associate herself), have established a scholarship to support students in the doctor of philosophy in urban education program at the College of Education and Human Services. He will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters during the afternoon ceremony.