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Goodwin University to hold 2023 Commencement at Dunkin' Park, June 3

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Fairview Capital Partners founder Joann H. Price to receive honorary degrees

by Philip Moore

East Hartford, CT (05/10/2023) — Goodwin University will hold its 2023 Commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 3, at Dunkin' Park, 1214 Main St, Hartford, Connecticut. The ceremony will begin at 4 pm as an estimated 450 students receive their certificates and associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees. A separate hooding ceremony for master's degree recipients will be held earlier that day. President Mark Scheinberg will deliver remarks to the graduates and recently appointed provost Dr. Michael Pardales will serve as master of ceremonies.

The guest Commencement speakers, who will also receive honorary degrees, from the University are renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Fairview Capital Partners co?-founder Joann H. Price.

Listed amongst the Most Influential People of 2021 by TIME100, Ben Crump has established himself as one of the nation's foremost lawyers and advocates for social justice. Mr. Crump's tireless advocacy has led to legislation preventing excessive force and developing implicit bias training and policies. He has represented families in high-profile civil rights cases including Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Stephon Clark, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. He represented nine of the black women in the Holtzclaw Oklahoma City Police rape case in 2015 and worked on the precedent-setting U.S. Supreme Court case involving excessive police force against Robbie Tolan. Mr. Crump also represented the residents affected by poisoned water in Flint, Michigan, as well as the family of Henrietta Lacks in a landmark reparations case.

Mr. Crump is president of the National Civil Rights Trial Lawyers Association and past-president of the National Bar Association. He was the first African-American chair of the Florida State University College of Law Board of Directors and is the founder and director of the Benjamin Crump Social Justice Institute. In 2021, St. Thomas University College of Law announced the Benjamin L. Crump Center for Social Justice in his honor. He is a frequent contributor to MSNBC, CNN, and USA Today and author of Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People.

Joann H. Price is co-founder and managing partner of Fairview Capital Partners, Inc. She is a member of Fairview's investment committee and manager of all Fairview-sponsored funds. Prior to co-founding Fairview, Ms. Price served as president of the National Association of Investment Companies headquartered in Washington, D.C. Ms. Price serves on a number of national advisory committees and private equity advisory boards.

Ms. Price also currently serves on the Howard University School of Business Board of Visitors, on the YMCA of Greater Hartford Board of Trustees, on the Wilson-Gray YMCA Board of Advisors, and on the Amistad Center for Art & Culture Board of Trustees. Additionally, Ms. Price serves on the boards of the Apollo Theater Foundation in New York City, Trinity Health of New England, Blue Hills Civic Association, 4-CT, and recently completed her term as chairperson of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

Also delivering addresses at the Commencement ceremony will be graduate student Margaret Guillory-Allen (M.Ed. in Education) and undergraduate Leslie Argueta Linares in (B.S. in Human Services).

Note: members of the media are welcome to attend. Instructions for parking and entrance to the park will be provided in upcoming announcements.

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