Honored sociologist addresses fall graduates

 

 

 

 

PULLMAN – William Julius Wilson, one of the nation’s leading experts on issues of race and urban policy, received the inaugural William Julius Wilson Diversity Award Saturday as part of WSU’s Fall Commencement ceremonies held on the Pullman campus.

Wilson

The award recognizes contributions to social policy and diversity that have had an impact at the local, national and/or international levels. Wilson, who received his doctoral degree in sociology from WSU in 1966, is the Lewis P. and Linda L. Geyser University Professor at Harvard University, where he has been a faculty member since 1996.

In his address to the graduating class, Wilson discussed the Harlem Children’s Zone, which he described as an “uplifting story during a period when we have been bombarded with bad news here at home and around the world. I especially hope my brief remarks this morning will inspire the young people who are graduating today, many of whom will become future leaders in this country.”

Wilson said the mission of the Harlem Children’s Zone is “to flood a number of blocks in Harlem, an inner-city community in New York City, with educational, social and medical services to create a comprehensive safety net for the children in that area.”

 

Funded largely through corporate support, the program has produced remarkable results in improving the educational readiness and achievement of students who come from these disadvantaged neighborhoods, Wilson said.

“Here we have kids from some of the most impoverished backgrounds, mostly from poor single-parent families, whose scores on cognitive tests far exceed those of kids in the public schools of New York,” Wilson said.

He said the program is being used as a model for a federal initiative – Promise Neighborhoods – which aims to repeat these successes in urban centers nationwide.

 

 

 

Wilson addressed more than 650 graduates who received degrees as well as their friends and family members who attended the ceremony at the Beasley Coliseum. The ceremony was for students who had earned degrees during the summer and fall semesters.

WSU President Elson S. Floyd presided at the event. Provost and Executive Vice President Warwick M. Bayly highlighted the achievements of selected students. Jason McConnell, president of the Graduate and Professional Students Association; Derek En’Wezoh, president of the Associated Students of Washington State University; and Rob Ellsworth, president of the WSU Alumni Association, also addressed the graduates.