Doctoral dinner, hooding ceremony to be held May 11

Doctoral dinner, hooding ceremony to be held May 11May 08, 2007SU News ServicesSUnews@syr.edu

Syracuse University’s Graduate School will hold its annual doctoral dinner and hooding ceremony, honoring the 2007 doctoral degree candidates, on Friday, May 11, at 6 p.m. in the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center’s Goldstein Auditorium. Doctoral degrees will be presented to some 120 students at Commencement on May 13.

The invitation-only event will begin with a reception at 6:45 p.m., followed at 7:30 p.m. by dinner, the presentation of awards and the hooding ceremony. Ben Ware, dean of the Graduate School and vice president for research, will offer welcoming remarks. Certificates in university teaching and doctoral prizes will be presented by Stacey Lane Tice, associate dean of the Graduate School and director of professional development programs.

In addition to honoring the doctoral candidates, the event will honor Kate B. Carey, professor of psychology in The College of Arts and Sciences, who will receive the 2007 William Wasserstrom Prize for Outstanding Graduate Teaching. The Wasserstrom Prize is presented annually by The College of Arts and Sciences in memory of Professor William Wasserstrom, former member of the Department of English. Cathryn R. Newton, dean of The College of Arts and Sciences, will present the award to Carey.

The award, which carries a cash prize, recognizes a tenured faculty member who, in the view of students and colleagues, best exemplifies the following qualities: being a recognized scholar whose work is characterized by its originality and distinctive character; having an outstanding record of effective training of graduate students; and actively participating in the intellectual and institutional life of the University, college and department.

Carey has been associated with Syracuse University since 1987 and is currently director of admissions for the college’s program in clinical psychology. Carey’s research focuses primarily on alcohol and other drug abuse, whether related to mental illness or college student drinking. She is currently the principal investigator on two grants from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, bringing to SU more than $3 million over a five-year period.

Carey is noted for her systematic inclusion of graduate students in her research program. Four of her recent students have won highly competitive pre-doctoral NIH fellowships, and her close reading of and commenting on these applications as they were developed is noted by her students. Students also benefit from her contacts with others working on alcohol abuse across the country. One recent graduate notes, “Dr. Carey is an outstanding mentor. She inspires her students to excel by a combination of example and support. She expresses sincere enthusiasm for working with her students.? Her program of research creates a fantastic training environment for her students.”