Bank Street College of Education: Integral to Building A Better World
By Pola Rosen, Ed.D.

The clattering of the silver and excited voices of graduates and faculty suddenly stopped at the gala commencement luncheon as President Augusta Kappner began to speak. In her customary warm manner, she congratulated the 337 masters students who were about to embark on their new careers. Dean Jon Snyder followed quipping about "not leading the graduates but being led by them." He introduced honorary doctoral recipient Dr. Michele Fine who proceeded to congratulate Bank Street for "daring to imagine what's possible;" she then cast shame on our country for depriving public education of funds while more prisons are being built. Her statistics were staggering: in California 40-60 per cent of teachers have emergency certification. In Seward Park High School, there are 1194 students in the 9th grade and 137 in the 12th grade. In John Jay High School there are 1335 students in the 9th grade and 145 in the 12th grade. According to Fine, "it's nobody's fault and it's everyone's responsibility." Fine credited President Kappner with ensuring that a college education should be a right for everyone including prisoners in Bedford Hills, New York. Expressing her outrage for social injustice, Fine stressed to the assembly, "that's your work when you graduate." Citing teachers who dare to fight for fiscal equity, Fine concluded that "there is no peace without justice. May we all grow up to be half the woman that Gussie Kappner is." Two honorary doctorates were awarded to husband and wife team Dr. Mindy Fullilove, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Dr. David Fullilove, Associate Dean of the Columbia School of Public Health for their seminal work on HIV/Aids. Dr. Mindy Fullilove expressed how special this graduation was in being the first to take place after 9/11. While she underscored social justice as being high on the agenda, she noted that "the great thing about this luncheon was the family of Bank Street giving gratitude for the bounty that learning gives us in the company of one another."

Dr. Fullilove spoke about the importance of "holding the community together and then aiming for an educated populace."

The fourth honorary doctorate was awarded to David Wolkenberg, an illustrious teacher of children at Bank Street for many years. He spoke of teaching as the most "fun and rewarding work that anyone can do." Of primary importance in early childhood education, according to Wolkenberg, is the relationship of trust and profound respect between teacher and child as well as teacher and parent."

In 1916, Lucy Sprague Mitchell, founder of Bank Street College of Education said, "We as teachers are integral to building a better world." These words have even greater significance in 2002 and are clearly the mission at Bank Street. Auguri to its graduates!#

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