DOBBS FERRY & OSSINING, N.Y. (PRWEB) May 30, 2018
Hudson Link and Mercy College are thrilled to announce that Bill Whitaker, an Emmy Award Winning Journalist and 60 Minutes Correspondent will serve as the keynote speaker at the June 6th commencement ceremony at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, where 44 students will graduate with associate or bachelor's degrees in Behavioral Science or Liberal Arts.
An Emmy Award Winning broadcast journalist for the past 40 years, Whitaker has covered three presidential elections as well as wide-ranging international and domestic stories. Prior to joining 60 Minutes in 2014, Whitaker spent 20 years with CBS in the Los Angeles bureau where he filed more than 2,000 stories. His dedication to reporting on hot-topic issues affecting the nation including prison reform, the opioid epidemic, race relations, politics, banking and immigration reform have earned him numerous awards and accolades.
“Hudson Link is honored to have Bill Whitaker as our keynote speaker. He has been an important voice for those underrepresented in our nation and his commitment to reporting on the wrongly incarcerated has helped shed light on this important issue facing our country,” said Executive Director Sean Pica. “We are also proud to recognize our 44 new graduates who have earned degrees through our relationship with Mercy College and Sing Sing.”
Through this partnership with Hudson Link, Mercy College offers a comprehensive Liberal Arts and Science curriculum with two degrees, an AS in Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and a BS in Behavioral Science at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility. Since the inception of the program in 1998, Mercy College has conferred more than 400 degrees and with the support of Hudson Link’s Alumni services, these graduates are able to return to their communities empowered to change their lives.
“At Mercy College we believe higher education is a pathway to new opportunities for all students,” said Tim Hall, Mercy College President. “Through our partnership with Hudson Link and the Sing Sing Correctional Facility we are able to work with inmates to provide opportunities for their futures.”
A native of Philadelphia, Whitaker is a graduate of Hobart and William Smith Colleges with a bachelor’s degree in American History. He also holds a master’s degree in African-American studies from Boston University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1997 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
About Hudson Link
Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison is a 501c(3) non-profit that provides college education, life skills and re-entry support to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men and women to help them make a positive impact on their own lives, their families and communities, resulting in lower rates of recidivism, incarceration and poverty. http://www.hudsonlink.org
About Mercy College
Mercy College is the dynamic, diverse New York City area college whose students are on a personal mission: to get the most out of life by getting the most out of their education. Founded in 1950, Mercy is a coeducational and nonsectarian college that offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs within five schools: Business, Education, Health and Natural Sciences, Liberal Arts and Social and Behavioral Sciences. With campuses in Dobbs Ferry, Bronx, Manhattan and Yorktown Heights, the vibrancy of the College culture is sustained by a diverse student body from around the region.