Philadelphia, PA, May 2002 - Thomas Jefferson University will award an honorary doctoral degree to Leslie Anne Miller, attorney and co-chair of the Board of Directors of the Regional Performing Arts Center, at the Commencement Exercises of Jefferson College of Health Professions (JCHP) on Friday, May 17 at 10:30 a.m. at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

The Class of 2002 totals 254 graduates, including 240 bachelor of science degree recipients in the disciplines of nursing, occupational therapy, diagnostic imaging and laboratory sciences; seven post-baccalaureate certificate recipients in laboratory sciences; and seven associate degree graduates. Also included in the totals are physical therapy students who will complete their combined BS-MS degree program during this summer.

Douglas MacMaster, Jr., Esq., Chairman of the Board of Trustees, will present Leslie Anne Miller, a partner and shareholder in the law firm McKissock and Hoffman, P.C., for the Honorary Doctor of Laws. Miller has received many awards during her distinguished career. In recent years, she became the first woman president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (1998), was named a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania by Governor Tom Ridge, received the Sandra Day O'Connor Award (1999), and was named one of five "Women Making History" by the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (2002). Her active service to the community is reflected in her appointments to the boards of several educational and cultural institutions.

The setting for JCHP's commencement exercises this year is a fitting tribute to Miller's accomplishments. She was a driving force in overseeing final preparations for the December 2001 opening of the Kimmel Center and completing the $265 million Campaign to Build the Kimmel Center.

University President Paul C. Brucker, MD, will confer the student degrees. JCHP Acting Dean James B. Erdmann, PhD, will address students and their families and present the JCHP Student Life Award. Janice Burke, PhD, OTRL/L, Chairman and Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, will serve as the Grand Marshal.

Jefferson College of Health Professions, founded in 1969 and located in the heart of Philadelphia, provides innovative academic programs to a highly qualified, culturally diverse student population with the primary goal of developing outstanding professionals and future leaders in healthcare. The College offers fully accredited bachelor's and master's degree programs in diagnostic imaging, laboratory sciences, nursing, occupational therapy and physical therapy. In addition, the College offers selected health certificate and associate degrees in the Department of General Studies.

View Ms. Miller's biography

Back