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Doris Kearns Goodwin, world-renowned presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, will serve as the keynote speaker during Emmanuel College's Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 11th. Sister Elizabeth Michaels, SNDdeN ’46 will also be recognized with an honorary degree. Nearly 600 degrees will be conferred upon graduates during the event on the College’s Fenway campus at 11:00 a.m.
"As we celebrate the College's 100th anniversary this year, I can think of no better historian to offer our community, especially our graduates, a strong perspective on leadership and public service," said Emmanuel President Sister Janet Eisner, SNDdeN.
Doris Kearns Goodwin's latest book, Leadership in Turbulent Times, her seventh, is a New York Times best-seller. During her distinguished five-decade career, her books have included: No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II, for which she won the Pulitzer; The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys, which was adapted into an award-winning five-part television miniseries; and Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, which served as the basis for Steven Spielberg's hit film Lincoln.
An avid fan of the Boston Red Sox, Goodwin also penned a memoir, Wait Till Next Year, a story of growing up loving her family and baseball. She regularly appears in documentary films, including Ken Burns' The History of Baseball, as well as on news programs like Meet the Press. She also played herself on an episode of The Simpsons.
Doris Kearns Goodwin graduated magna cum laude from Colby College and earned a doctorate in government from Harvard University. She received an honorary doctorate from Emmanuel College in 1989.
Sister Elizabeth Michaels, SNDdeN, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during Commencement Exercises. A native of Boston, Sr. Elizabeth earned her B.A. degree in mathematics from Emmanuel College in 1946, whereupon she entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Later she received master's and doctoral degrees in mathematics from Boston University and the University of Notre Dame, respectively. For 40 years she served on the faculty at Emmanuel College, playing a key role in developing programs in mathematics and in advancing innovation throughout the curriculum. Sister Elizabeth served at the international level of the Sisters of Notre Dame and in provincial leadership for many years. Currently, she draws on her experience in education and administration to advise the Sisters of Notre Dame's newer educational ministries, especially those committed to serving people on the margins of society.
Presidential Historian and Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Doris Kearns Goodwin
