2021 Commencement
The time has come to reserve your ticket for our thirty-second commencement. The commencement will be held outdoors. In accordance with COVID-19 protocols, The Institute for Clinical Social Work is planning a drive-in June Commencement ceremony in the parking lot of St. Augustine College, 1345 W. Argyle Street, Chicago, IL. Due to COVID-19 protocols, space is limited so please register early.
Outside seating will be provided for graduates only. All other guests, including faculty, students, family, and friends will be required to remain inside of their vehicles during the ceremony. Family and friends who cannot attend in person may join the celebration virtually. The link will be sent directly to graduates, students, faculty and staff the week of commencement.
2020 Graduates Are Welcome
If you earned your degree in 2020, you're cordially invited to return to campus and participate in the 2021 commencement exercises.
The Institute for Clinical Social Work
is pleased to announce:
Dr. Steve Perry
Keynote speaker at its thirty-second commencement on June 5, 2021.
Revolutionizing Education
Dr. Steve Perry is an educator, bestselling author, and the Founder and Head of Schools, Capital Preparatory Schools.
Using his powerful voice, fighting for disadvantaged children and families for thirty years., Dr. Perry is widely respected by grassroots community members and internationally renowned leaders as an educator, social worker and public speaker, his charismatic and compelling voice is an inspiration.
He is the educator Oprah Winfrey, Sean "P-Diddy" Combs, Bishop TD Jakes and Steve Harvey call on to offer insight to parents and children. A diverse array of politicians and groups, from the Urban League to ALEC, have reached out to Dr. Perry to better understand what matters to parents. His skills are hard-fought and have been bestowed from his rough childhood all the way up through his graduation from an Ivy League school. During his difficult childhood, born into his family’s third generation of poverty on his mother’s 16th birthday, Dr. Perry believes that the success of a life is determined by where you end, not where you start. It is this philosophy that inspired him to transform the lives of poor and minority children by providing them with access to a college education. There's a richness in his concepts that foster an intriguing point of view on the modern American family.
Dr. Steve Perry's unique and powerful voice is respected and has been featured on MSNBC, Fox, CNN, Al Jazeera, TV One, BET, and NBC as well as on the Oprah Winfrey network in multiple shows. His courage and piercing insights provide a fascinating perspective that is not often found in public discourse. Too often race, class, gender, and political affiliations mute others' voices. Dr. Steve Perry fearlessly speaks from the heart, which births unpredictability. Premiering January 7, 2019, his new daytime talk show "Breakthrough With Dr. Steve Perry" will air on Fox.
In 2019, Dr. Perry worked on his fourth school with Sean "Diddy" Combs as an investor pledging 1 million dollars to fund the school for local youth. In 2020, his fifth school campus opened in the Bronx, NY. His impact is profound and varied and showing no signs of slowing down.
Dr. Steve Perry is the voice of a generation, a people's champion who has been fighting for disadvantaged children and families for 30 years. Passionate and surprisingly funny, Dr. Steve Perry is a man worth listening to.
Dr. Perry's commitment to youth, family wellness, and educational excellence started as the former founder and principal of Capital Prep Magnet School in Hartford, CT, which U.S. News and World Report cited in 2006 as one of the top schools in the country. He accomplished sending 100% of its predominantly low-income, minority, first-generation high school graduates to four-year colleges since the conception of his first school, and currently, with 5 successful open schools, his impact is profound and varied and displays no signs of slowing down.
Additional information about Dr. Perry can be found on his website at: https://www.drsteveperry.org/
COMMENCEMENT VENUE
The 2021 commencement will be held outdoors in the parking lot of St. Augustine College, 1345 W. Argyle Street, Chicago, IL.
Please remember that this is a drive-in commencement, reservations are required and parking is limited.
Processional Directions for Graduates
Graduates are asked to arrive to St. Augustine College no later than 9:00 a.m.
Graduates will be asked to line-up inside of St. Augustine College (masks are required and temperature checks will be performed for participating graduates)
Commencement Attire
All candidates for PhD and MA degrees must wear academic regalia. Academic regalia will be mailed directly to your home address.
Parking
General parking will be available in the St. Augustine College parking lot
Parking will be free for all guests
Parking attendants will be stationed throughout the parking lot to assist with parking
Graduates are asked to arrive to St. Augustine College no later than 9:00 a.m. Reserved parking will be available for graduates only
Platform speakers are asked to arrive to St. Augustine College no later than 9:15 a.m.
Guests are asked to arrive to St. Augustine College between 9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Entrance into the parking lot for the Drive-In commencement will end promptly at 9:45 a.m.
COVID-19
Individuals attending the ceremony agree to follow the COVID-19 safety protocols
Covid-19 safety protocols will be strictly enforced during the ceremony
Guests will be required to exit the parking lot immediately following the ceremony
Individuals entering the parking lot must present the appropriate ticket and are required to remain in their vehicles during the ceremony (we need to add this to the registration ticket that individuals attending agree to follow the COVID-19 safety protocols established by ICSW)