President Christopher Dahl recently announced that newly appointed superintendent of the Rochester City School District, Jean-Claude Brizard, will deliver the main address for the spring 2008 Commencement.
Brizard, who began his position on Jan. 2, boasts a 21-year career in education and administration in the New York City area. His past positions vary from high-school physics teacher to senior executive for policy and sustainability for the New York City Department of Education.
Brizard's past accomplishments include his work as Region 6 superintendent where, over the course of four years, he saw an overwhelmingly economically disadvantaged population of students in grades three through eight drastically improve their math and English Language Arts scores. He also implemented an afternoon program called GED-Plus for high-school students at risk of dropping out and worked to remove two schools listed as "persistently dangerous" from the state's list.
Brizard holds a master's degree in School Administration and Supervision from the City College of New York, as well as both a bachelor's degree in chemistry and a master's degree in science education from Queens College. Brizard is also a graduate of the Superintendents' Academy of the Broad Center for the Management of School Systems.
In an e-mail addressed to colleagues dated April 8, Dahl stated that "[Brizard's speech] will underline our partnerships with the Rochester schools and our important role as a public liberal-arts college in addressing one of the most significant issues in 21st-century America."
The ceremony, Geneseo's 142nd commencement, will take place on May 17 at 10 a.m.