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Honorable Frank Caprio
Zygmunt J. Friedemann
Major Michael P. Manning
Father Gregory R. Ramkissoon
Fay A. Rozovsky
Austin D. Sarat

Judge Frank Caprio,  your life's journey -- from humble beginnings on Providence's Federal Hill to your stature as a respected attorney, fair-minded jurist, and higher education leader -- vividly illustrates the success of the American Dream and affirms the promise of Providence College's mission.

Guided throughout your life by the common sense wisdom of your father and the principles found in Saint Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae, you have brought keen thinking, sound judgment, and compassion to the practice of law and the administration of justice. You have made it your personal mission to bring the hope and opportunity you found at Providence College to countless young people through your exemplary leadership on Rhode Island's Board of Governors for Higher Education.

Today, as you reflect on the fiftieth anniversary of your own graduation from Providence College, we celebrate with you and your family the power of education to transform individual lives and those in the generations that follow.

For these reasons, Father Chairman and Father President, the Corporation of Providence College presents The Honorable Frank Caprio as one deemed worthy to receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law and requests you to confer upon him this degree together with all its rights and privileges.

Zygmunt J. Friedemann, your legacy at Providence College and in the State of Rhode Island is unparalleled and enduring.

The architect of the College's political science department, you laid a permanent foundation of excellence in teaching, scholarship, and research. A beloved faculty mentor for thirty-four years, your passion for the discipline and high expectations for your students motivated countless young men and women to challenge themselves and achieve more than they ever imagined possible.

Your devotion to your adopted country led to eight terms of distinguished service as a state legislator. Foremost among your achievements was the development and implementation of Rhode Island's 9-1-1 emergency communications program -- the first statewide system in the nation.

As a young man, you bravely resisted the Nazi occupation of Poland. Once a prisoner, you never have taken freedom or laughter for granted. You live life to the fullest every day, and by your example, inspire all of us to do the same.

For these reasons, Father Chairman and Father President, the Corporation of Providence College presents Zygmunt J. Friedemann as one deemed worthy to receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Political Science and requests you to confer upon him this degree together with all its rights and privileges.

Major Michael P. Manning, in the eleven years since you were commissioned as an officer in the United States Army through Providence College's Reserve Officer Training Corps, you have experienced both the blessings of peace and the turmoil of war.

At a time when military service to our nation is entirely voluntary, you chose this vocation with deliberation and faith. You have earned high commendation for the professionalism and courage you exemplified in war zones as disparate as Kosovo and Iraq. Guided by a well-calibrated moral compass and a personal commitment to excellence, you have demonstrated outstanding leadership in military assignments and civilian enterprises.

Always an eager student, you have taken the lessons learned in the midst of ethnic strife and promoted new methods of communication and collaboration to foster mutual respect, cultural understanding, and creative business and educational partnerships among the citizens of Rhode Island and The Bahamas.

For these reasons, Father Chairman and Father President, the Corporation of Providence College presents Major Michael P. Manning as one deemed worthy to receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Public Service and requests you to confer upon him this degree together with all its rights and privileges.

Father Gregory R. Ramkissoon, through your life and your work among the world's most impoverished citizens, you have given living expression to Jesus' beloved and instructive parable of the mustard seed. 

For thirty years, you have sowed seeds of hope, compassion, self-sufficiency, and education among poor, disabled, and marginalized children and adults in the Caribbean, Central America, and Africa. Grounded and guided by faith in Christ, you have built an organization founded on the principle that successful community development must be accompanied and complemented by the nurturing of faith.

By your passion and example, you have inspired thousands of volunteers from scores of nations to support your work and serve in Mustard Seed Communities. Each gift and act of love is multiplied when those who have much, give much. Today your once-small dream is the largest organization of its kind in the Caribbean.

For these reasons, Father Chairman and Father President, the Corporation of Providence College presents Father Gregory R. Ramkissoon as one deemed worthy to receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Humanities and requests you to confer upon him this degree together with all its rights and privileges.

Fay A. Rozovsky, we recognize you today as a pioneer unafraid to step with purpose and passion into unfamiliar enterprises.

One of the first women students invited to attend Providence College, you applied your intellect and enthusiasm to a program of studies that enabled you to forge a noteworthy path in the nascent practice of American health law and healthcare risk management.

Combining your expertise as a healthcare attorney, educator, risk manager, and consultant, you have engaged in extensive research and writing about the complexities surrounding patient safety and informed consent. Your contributions to the field have guided countless hospitals and healthcare agencies, have immeasurably strengthened your profession, and have been cited by the highest courts in the United States and Canada.

Throughout your lifetime of influence and achievement, you have cherished the values of family and friendship, while reserving a treasured place in your heart for your Alma Mater.

For these reasons, Father Chairman and Father President, the Corporation of Providence College presents Fay A. Rozovsky as one deemed worthy to receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Public Health and requests you to confer upon her this degree together with all its rights and privileges.

Austin D. Sarat, once a precocious honors student at Providence College determined to change the world through political action, you followed a different, though no less transforming, path.

Your unquenchable passion for knowledge has found expression in your esteemed scholarship, inspired teaching, and prolific writing. Convinced that a vital understanding of the law is instructive for every citizen, you introduced and nurtured the interdisciplinary academic field in which legal education intersects with liberal arts studies in culture and the humanities. Our nation's higher-education and legal systems both are immensely richer because of your insight and influence.

You have presented generations of students with a great gift: the example of an engaged mind that joyfully embraces lifetime learning. Your success and honor as a teacher come from this and from your commitment to truly know your students and to help them discover who they are meant to be and what they can achieve.

For these reasons, Father Chairman and Father President, the Corporation of Providence College presents Austin D. Sarat as one deemed worthy to receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws and requests you to confer upon him this degree together with all its rights and privileges.

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