Commissioner of Higher Education Carlos Santiago to Give Commencement Address at Bunker Hill Community College
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Boston, March 13, 2019 – Massachusetts Commissioner of Higher Education Carlos E. Santiago will be the keynote speaker at the Forty-fifth Commencement Exercises at Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) on Thursday, May 23, 2019, on the Charlestown Campus.
Commissioner Santiago will be the recipient of the President’s Distinguished Service Award, presented annually at Commencement to an individual who has rendered extraordinary service to the community and to the students of Bunker Hill Community College.
“Commissioner Santiago’s commitment to equity in higher education is something that resonates with us at the College,” said BHCC President Pam Eddinger. “We are fortunate to have an advocate and partner in the Commissioner to help advance such an important topic at the highest level.”
The importance of equity in higher education is a common theme across many College-wide initiatives, and a top priority for Bunker Hill Community College and the diverse, urban community it serves.
Last year, the College established a Center for Equity and Cultural Wealth, drawing on the College’s nationally recognized work to design culturally inclusive learning environments that value the strengths of diverse students and local communities. In addition, BHCC’s food pantry, set to open on the Charlestown Campus early summer, will provide high-quality fresh, frozen and canned food items to students in need to feed themselves and their families to enable these students to realize their academic potential.
Dr. Santiago has served as Commissioner of Higher Education for Massachusetts since July 2015. Working with the Board of Higher Education (BHE), he is responsible for providing overall direction to public higher education in Massachusetts and helping shape state-level policies that maximize the benefits of higher education to the Commonwealth and its citizens.
“I am honored to be recognized by Bunker Hill Community College, our largest community college,” said Commissioner Santiago. “The equity agenda pursued by BHCC is near and dear to me and it is one that exemplifies the very best of our system of public higher education in the Commonwealth.”
Dr. Santiago holds a Ph.D. in economics from Cornell University and has held numerous academic and administration positions in higher education. Among them, he has served as Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Provost and Chief Operating Officer of the University at Albany (SUNY). He is the author or co-author of six books and numerous articles and book reviews, and is the two-time recipient of the “100 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States” title by Hispanic Business magazine.
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About Bunker Hill Community College
With more than 50 years of academic excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is Massachusetts' largest community college, annually welcoming a diverse community of around 16,000 students. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC extends its reach across several locations in Greater Boston. The College offers associate degrees and certificates, early college and dual enrollment, community education, corporate training, and industry-specific training programs. BHCC is celebrated for its diversity, boasting a student body where 65% identify as people of color and more than half are women. The College also embraces a global perspective, with over 600 international students representing 90 countries and conversing in more than 65 languages. Our commitment to diversity is further reflected in BHCC's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).