MCLA Commencement Honors Ruberto, Tassone, DeRosa
Hubert E. 'Hubie' Jones
|
City Year Social Entrepreneur in Residence and 2010 Purpose Prize recipient Hubert E. "Hubie" Jones will deliver the keynote address to the members of the class of 2011 and local attorney John DeRosa, Pittsfield Mayor James M. Ruberto and Sister Eunice Tassone, director of the development at the Catholic Outreach to Youth Center in North Adams.
The awarding of bachelor's and master's degrees and Certificates of Advanced Graduate Study at the 112th commencement will be on Saturday, May 21, beginning at 11 a.m. in the Amsler Campus Center Gymnasium.
Jones will receive an honorary doctor of public service degree; DeRosa will receive an honorary doctor of laws, Ruberto an honorary doctor of public service and Tassone, of the Sisters of St. Joseph, an honorary doctor of humanities.
In recognition of their awards, the honorary degree recipients will also have books placed in MCLA's Freel Library in their names.
"This year's honorees are an accomplished and impressive group. Each has demonstrated unswerving commitment and dedication to the betterment of the communities they serve," said MCLA President Mary Grant. "From Hubie Jones trailblazing work in the areas of children's advocacy and social and civic justice to John DeRosa's tireless work in support of cultural, economic, and civic development in North Adams, to the transformation of Pittsfield under Jim Ruberto's leadership to the action Sister Eunice has inspired locally and in Haiti, our honorees will offer our graduates examples to emulate as they embark upon their careers and lives beyond MCLA. I look forward to honoring each of these remarkable individuals at
this year's Commencement."
Trustees Chairwoman Jane Allen applauded those who will be honored.
"For decades, Hubie Jones has lived the values of passionate service and engaged citizenship," Allen said. "John DeRosa has been a great friend to MCLA as part of his commitment to and vision for the city he calls home. Mayor Ruberto has helped lead Pittsfield into a new era of innovation and vitality while honoring the city's history. And Sister Eunice demonstrates that when combined with compassion and leadership, MCLA's proud liberal arts tradition can truly make the world a better place."
Jones is part of the social justice movement in Boston, where he has held numerous positions in academia, served on multiple boards and played a leadership role in the social development of the city and its people. He is dean emeritus of the Boston University School of Social Work, where he was professor and dean from 1977 to 1993.
He was special assistant to the chancellor for urban affairs at the University of Massachusetts at Boston from 1995 to 2003. In 1992, he was acting president of Roxbury Community College. From 1972 to 1977, he
was associate professor in the department of urban studies and planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Jones has played a key role in the formation, rebuilding and leadership of at least 30 community organizations within the black community and across the city. In 20 of these organizations, he served
as chairman of the board or executive director. Some of these leadership roles include: executive director of the Roxbury Multi-Service Center, board chairman of the Massachusetts Advocacy Center; board president of Roxbury Youthworks, Roxbury Community College Foundation and the Citywide Educational Coalition. Since 2002, he has been founder and president of the Boston Children's Chorus. He was a trustee at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute for 10 years and of the Foley Hoag Foundation for 25 years. For 20 years, Jones appeared weekly as a panelist on "Five on Five," a public affairs program on WCVB-TV.
In 2010, Jones received the Purpose Prize from Civic Ventures in recognition of this work with the Boston Children's Chorus. He earned his bachelor's degree from the City College of New York and master's
degree in social work from Boston University School of Social Work.
John DeRosa
|
For decades, DeRosa has been an active partner in the cultural and economic redevelopment of North Adams and Berkshire County. While co-chairman of the Governor's Task Force on Economic Development in Northern
Berkshire, he was an early proponent and advocate for the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. He is treasurer and clerk on the museum's board of trustees and is president of the Partnership for North Adams, a nonprofit economic development agency founded in 2010. (Grant and Mass MoCA director Joseph Thompson are prinicpals in the agency.)
DeRosa has served in volunteer leadership capacities with numerous community organizations, including the Northern Berkshire United Way, the Northern Berkshire YMCA, the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, and the Berkshire Blueprint steering committee. He was president of the New England Collegiate Baseball League's North Adams Steeplecats and is now president of the 12-team league.
He earned a bachelor of science degree from the College of the Holy Cross, and a juris doctor from Boston College Law school.
James M. Ruberto
|
which includes businesses of various sizes, but with a common thread of creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. He has used targeted tax incentives to lure entrepreneurs and pushed for businesses already in Pittsfield to grow by offering credits in exchange for new jobs. Highlights include the engineering work being done at General Dynamics, the growth of Interprint Inc. and the 1.8-megawatt solar project at the William Stanley Business Park.
Ruberto has been instrumental in establishing Pittsfield as a home of top cultural draws in the heart of the Berkshires, anchored by the Barrington Stage Company and the Colonial Theatre/Berkshire Theatre Festival partnership. To further encourage growth and vibrancy, the mayor has helped establish an artist overlay district in the city and the Pittsfield Office of Cultural development.
In 2004, Ruberto led the effort that secured Pittsfield's place in the history of our national pastime when the city was discovered to have first written documentation of the game of baseball.
Born and raised in Pittsfield, he earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Villanova University and a master of business administration from the University of Massachusetts.
Tassone is founder and director of the Haiti Plunge, an annual mission of the COTY Center that develops sustainable agricultural cooperatives and delivers care to nine remote mountain villages and the surrounding Caberet region of Haiti. The Haiti Plunge involves high school and college-aged students in mission trips to the region.
Sister Eunice Tassone
|
The Haiti Plunge is national in scope. More than 1,500 youth and advisers have participated in the project since its inception. Nearly 1,000 of the participants have come from the Berkshires, providing service to, and building friendships with, the people of Haiti.
In recognition of her leadership and humanitarian service, Tassone received the 2005 Northern Berkshire Hero Award from the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, and a 2010 Unsung Heroine Award from the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. In the wake of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, she and the Haiti Plunge were recognized with a Peacemaker Award by the North Adams Martin Luther King Committee.
She earned a bachelor's degree from Our Lady of the Elms College, a master of education degree in 1977 from MCLA and a master's degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. She has completed postgraduate study at the University of Notre Dame. She is a the former director of the COTY Center.
For more information, go to http://www.mcla.edu/Undergraduate/Experience/graduation
]www.mcla.edu/Undergraduate/Experience/graduation.
