Graduate exercises will be held May 12-13

Cleveland State University will celebrate the ultimate sign of student success through spring commencement exercises on May 12 and May 13. The graduation ceremonies for the University and the Cleveland Marshall College of Law will feature commencement addresses, the awarding of honorary degrees and the conferring of diplomas to CSU’s newest batch of alumni.

CSU President Ronald M. Berkman, who is retiring June 1, will give the commencement address for CSU’s morning and afternoon ceremonies on May 12 at the Wolstein Center. President Berkman will reflect on his tenure at Cleveland State and his long leadership career in higher education, while also providing advice to graduates on how they can pursue their passions and make their communities a better place. CSU will also award an honorary degree to Jo-Ann Davidson, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives who served as the first female Speaker of the House in the history of the state.

“Leading Cleveland State University for the past nine years has been the pinnacle of my professional career, and I am honored that as one of my last official acts as president I get to celebrate this important milestone with the dedicated and inspiring individuals who make up the 2018 graduating class,” notes Berkman.

The Law School ceremony, to be held May 13 at Playhouse Square’s Connor Palace Theatre, will feature commencement remarks from Carmen Twillie Ambar, president of Oberlin College. President Ambar will also receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree, as will C|M|LAW graduates Judge Patricia A. Blackmon ’75 and Judge Melody J. Stewart ’88, who both serve on Ohio’s Eighth District Court of Appeals.

"We are honored to have these three outstanding leaders in law and higher education as our commencement speaker and honorary degree recipients. They have demonstrated outstanding leadership and a commitment to service that will inspire our school's graduates as they prepare to make their marks through justice," said Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Dean Lee Fisher.

For more information about CSU’s commencement exercises, visit csuohio.edu/commencement.