Pacific Oaks College Celebrates 50th Commencement Ceremony

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May 28, 2010, 03:23 ET

Embarks on Journey to 50 More

PASADENA, Calif., May 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The skies were blue, the mood was jubilant, and the excitement was palpable as 140 Pacific Oaks College students received their degrees this month from renowned Pacific Oaks College. Faculty and staff and more than 800 family members and friends attended to support and celebrate the graduates' achievements and the momentous occasion of the College's 50th commencement ceremony.

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"This is a transformative moment for all of our outstanding graduates and for the institution," said Pacific Oaks president Dr. Cindy Carter. "We are deeply proud of our graduates, who have taken a journey with us and within themselves as they matriculated to their degrees. We are also proud of our college, which has been on a journey itself, carrying our powerful legacy and mission into the future as we adapt to the changing needs of our students and the challenges facing the global community."

Known for its pioneering efforts to reduce bias within our nation's education system, Pacific Oaks College has a 60-year legacy as a national leader in early childhood education, contributing thousands of highly trained educators to the Head Start program, private day care centers, schools and colleges both in California and across the nation. The Pacific Oaks pedagogy, which adapts the classroom and curriculum to the learning styles and needs of the student, is reflected in the work and profound impact of its many successful graduates. Both at the prominent Pacific Oaks Children's School and at facilities and institutions throughout the country, Pacific Oaks graduates integrate experiential learning, critical thinking, social responsibility, peaceful conflict resolution and anti-bias perspective into their work with children, adults and the communities they serve.

The College, said Dr. Carter, is preparing for the future by developing new programs and delivery to serve more students and facilitate its mission. Pacific Oaks is re-opening instructional sites in California and will broaden its reach through additional online as well as face-to-face programming. Its Burgess Lecture Series is set to begin again in September, and a new alumni magazine will launch in October.

Keynote speaker Dr. Orlando Taylor, a campus president at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and former dean of the Howard University Graduate School, encouraged the graduates to remain "students eternal."

"With your Pacific Oaks education," said Dr. Taylor, "you have the intellectual tools that can contribute to a reduction in illiteracy, enhance the empowerment of the marginalized and the disenfranchised, increase understanding of the human experience and the cultures in our country and in the world, improve the environment, reduce poverty, and eliminate the 'isms' that continue to plague our nation and the world . . . racism, sexism, ageism, 'colorism' and so on."

That, said graduate and commencement speaker Shelley Hughes, "is the reason most of us chose Pacific Oaks and it is what motivates us in all of our endeavors."

"And that commitment to making the world a better place," said Dr. Carter, "is what Pacific Oaks will carry forward through its 100th Commencement."

View a photo gallery and watch commencement speeches on the Pacific Oaks website.

About Pacific Oaks College and The Children's School

Pacific Oaks College (PO) is an accredited institution offering bachelor's, master's, and certificate programs in human development, counseling, and teaching credentialing.

Founded in 1959 by a small group of Quaker families, PO is dedicated to the fundamental Quaker principles of inclusion, social justice, and the valuing of every human being. The institution is known and recognized for its pioneering efforts to reduce bias within our nation's education system, and for equipping graduates with the skills they need to help people from diverse backgrounds, learning styles, and strengths uncover and realize their unique individual potentials.

Founded in 1945, The Children's School is widely recognized today as one of the finest preschools in the Los Angeles region.

For more information, visit www.pacificoaks.edu