Contact: Janet Harvey-Clark, MSU College of Law, (517) 432-6959; or Russ White, University Relations, (517) 432-0923, whiterus@msu.edu
5/3/2004
Detroit Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick, a 1999 graduate of Michigan State University College of Law, will present the law college�s commencement address Sunday, May 16.
Kilpatrick will speak to more than 200 graduates and their guests at noon in the Wharton Center for Performing Arts on the MSU campus. He will be awarded one of two honorary doctor of law degrees to be conferred during the ceremony. A second honorary degree will be awarded to Joseph J. Buttigeig, a 10-year trustee and 1975 graduate of the college.
Also during the ceremony, Detroit attorney Victor G. Marrocco, a 1970 graduate, will receive the Honorable George N. Bashara Distinguished Alumni Award. Nancy A. Abraham, alumni association president and a 1988 graduate, will present the award. The law college�s president, Clifton E. Haley, a 1961 graduate, and the college�s dean, Terence L. Blackburn, will preside over the commencement exercises.
Kilpatrick is the youngest mayor in Detroit�s history as well as the youngest mayor of any major U.S. city. Before his election in 2001, he was the first African American in the state�s history to lead any party in the Legislature.
As Democratic Caucus leader, Kilpatrick earned praise from across the state for his coalition-building ability. As a state representative, he played a key role in designing the Clean Michigan Initiative, earmarking funds for brownfield, waterfront and local park development. Kilpatrick also mobilized action to protect children from lead poisoning, make schools safer, expand health benefits for retirees, protect the environment and secure medical care for low-income patients.
As mayor of Detroit, Kilpatrick reorganized the city�s structure, balanced the budget, re-engineered the police department, and completed agreements to bring new casinos, hotels, housing complexes and businesses to the city. Among his recent accomplishments is establishment of the NextEnergy Center, a research complex for fuel cell technology, and organization of the Motor City Makeover, a citywide spring cleanup. He also strengthened code enforcement to help rid the community of blighted structures.
Kilpatrick is a lifelong resident of Detroit. He earned a bachelor�s degree in political science, with honors, from Florida A & M University, where he was captain of the football team. He completed a Juris Doctor degree at Michigan State University College of Law in 1999.
Kilpatrick and his wife, Carlita, have three sons: Jelani, Jalil and Jonas.
MSU College of Law was founded as the Detroit College of Law in 1891 and was the first law school in Detroit. To extend its commitment to educational excellence, the college affiliated with MSU 1995 and moved to MSU�s East Lansing campus in 1997. The move enabled the law college to build state-of-the-art facilities and to provide the benefits of a Big Ten campus while maintaining the culture of a small, private school. Today, the college remains the nation�s oldest continually operating independent law school.