On Campus
2015 master’s degrees granted with address by Beverly J. Coen ’68
Muskingum University granted master’s degrees at its graduate commencement exercises, held May 7 in Brown Chapel on the campus. The address was delivered by 1968 alumnus Beverly J. Coen.
Degrees conferred were the Master of Arts in Teaching, the Master of Arts in Education and the Master of Information Strategy, Systems and Technology.
Muskingum University President Anne C. Steele congratulated the assembled graduates and said, “You have worked hard, and we are very proud of you. What you have done here will have an impact on thousands of individuals, your communities and the world.”
In her address, Ms. Coen encouraged the graduates to be “everyday heroes,” like Genevieve Jenkins Swingle, a Philo teacher who dramatically affected the direction of Ms. Coen’s life. Her advice to the graduates was, “Any one of you has the potential to be everyday heroes. You may not change the world, but you can change someone’s world.”
Recognizing her lifetime of achievement, the university bestowed upon Ms. Coen an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.
Beverly J. Coen is a distinguished business executive and volunteer leader who is dedicated to enriching the lives of others.
Ms. Coen retired as chief tax and risk officer of Nordson Corporation, a world-leading manufacturer of precision dispensing equipment for consumer and industrial products, testing and inspection equipment for electrical components, and technology-based systems for curing and surface treatment processes. From Nordson’s headquarters in Westlake, Ohio, she oversaw the corporation’s global tax and risk management functions and served on the Enterprise Risk Management, Retirement and Pension Investment Committees and as a trustee of the Nordson Corporation Foundation. Prior to joining Nordson in 1981, she was a member of Republic Steel’s tax department and a junior high school English teacher for the Bedford (Ohio) County Schools.
A leader in community service, Ms. Coen is a member of the Board of Directors of the Ohio Buckeye Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and of the Great Lakes Theatre Festival. She is a founder and past president of the Cleveland Chapter of Interfaith Hospitality Network and continues to serve its successor organization, Family Promise of Greater Cleveland, as an Emeritus Board Member. She is a team captain for the annual drive supporting the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges and has volunteered with the Urban League of Greater Cleveland’s Career Beginnings Initiative and with the Cleveland Municipal School District. She has been recognized with numerous honors, including the 2011 Volunteer of the Year Award from the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges.
Ms. Coen earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from Muskingum and a law degree from Case Western Reserve University Law School. She is a member of the Muskingum University Board of Trustees and delivered the Opening Convocation keynote address for the university’s 2011-2012 academic year.
Candidates for master’s degrees were presented by Vice President of Academic Affairs James Callaghan. The degrees were conferred by President Steele, Muskingum University Trustee and alumnus Gordon Spillman, Vice President of Graduate and Continuing Studies Dr. Mark Sanford, Department of Education Chair Dr. Rae Harriott White and Dr. Ray Rataiczak, director of the Master of Information Strategies, Systems and Technology graduate program.
Faculty marshals were Professor of Chemistry Dr. Ray Rataiczak and Dr. Larry Normansell, the Harry and Mary Evelyn Laurent Distinguished Professor of Psychology.
The student marshals were Cody B. Lake ’16 and Brittany A. Matthews ’17.
