BROOKLYN AND LONG ISLAND, N.Y – May 14, 2007 - St. Joseph's College is proud to welcome three distinguished speakers to its 91st annual commencement ceremonies:

● Patrick J. Foye, J.D, Chairman of the Empire State Development Corp./Downstate, will be the keynote speaker for the Long Island campus exercises on Tuesday, May 29th at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday, May 29th at 6 p.m.

● Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President, will be the keynote speaker at the School of Professional and Graduate Studies ceremony at the Dillon Center Mall, 239 Clinton Avenue, on Thursday, May 31 at 5 p.m.

● Sister Elizabeth Mullane, CSJ, RN, will be the keynote speaker for the Brooklyn Campus' School of Arts and Sciences exercise at the Dillon Center Mall, 239 Clinton Avenue on Friday, June 1 at 4 p.m.

In addition, Gilbert Rivera, founder of Park Avenue Building and Roofing Supplies, LLC and AM&G Waterproofing, LLC will posthumously receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at the School of Professional and Graduate Studies ceremony on May 31. Mrs. Erminia Rivera will accept the award on behalf of the family, and his son Gilbert Rivera, Jr., will address the audience.

Patrick J. Foye, Chairman of the Empire State Development Corp./Downstate will address the Long Island graduates from the School of Professional and Graduate Studies and the School of Arts and Sciences. He joined state government in January 2007 after a career in law, business and the not-for-profit sector. Before joining Governor Spitzer's administration, Foye spent three years as president and chief executive officer of United Way of Long Island, where he revitalized the organization by running it like a for-profit business. St. Joseph's will award him a Doctor of Laws honorary degree.

Marty Markowitz, Borough President of Brooklyn, New York, will be the keynote speaker for the Brooklyn Campus School Professional and Graduate Studies commencement. He has represented the borough of Brooklyn since he was first elected to the New York State Senate in 1979, and was the first borough president elected in the new millennium. Markowitz began his career in public service in 1971 at the age of 26 by organizing the Flatbush Tenants Council, which grew into Brooklyn Housing and Family Services, He is known for his ambitious agenda focusing on three core issues - housing, neighborhood preservation, and community development. Since his arrival into the political world he has enacted programs to boost civic pride, improve health, and generate more resources for the borough’s businesses and residents. At this ceremony, Markowitz will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

Sister Elizabeth Mullane, CSJ, RN, a Sister of St. Joseph, a teacher, a public health nurse, an expert on HIV-related issues, and a health administrator, became a nurse because of the example her grandmother set while caring for the sick. Upon receiving her nursing license in 1975, Sister Mullane spent the next dozen years caring for the sick and elderly as a hospice nurse. In 1988, she was hired by St. Vincent's Services to create and implement a pediatric AIDS program, and, through her efforts, the Family-in-Transition program was created to work with terminally ill parents to provide for their children following their deaths. In addition, she played a pivotal role in securing federal and state funding to deal with the AIDS epidemic and its consequences in the Brooklyn area. Sister Mullane will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at the commencement ceremony.

Gilbert Rivera, founder of Park Avenue Building and Roofing Supplies, LLC and AM&G Waterproofing, LLC, was a self-made entrepreneur who was a pillar of the Brooklyn business community and a true Hispanic-American success story. Through his perseverance and skill, he turned one hardware store in Bedford-Stuyvesant into one of the largest building supply companies in the nation. Over the years, Rivera never lost sight of his community and his Puerto Rican heritage, and he provided support and guidance to minority businessmen in the community struggling to start their own firms. As his company grew, Rivera continued to invest in Central Brooklyn, recently opening a 132,000 square-foot headquarters on Atlantic Avenue in Ocean Hill-Brownsville, which will spur the local economy and provide much-needed jobs to the community. In recognition of his contributions to the community, St. Joseph's College will award Mr. Rivera an honorary Doctor of Laws degree posthumously.

About St. Joseph's College

St. Joseph’s College has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the College provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual and spiritual values, social responsibility, and service. With campuses located in the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn and in Patchogue, Suffolk, Long Island, the College offers degrees in over 22 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs through its School of Arts and Sciences and its School of Professional and Graduate Studies.