Ò°»¨ÉçÇø

JERSEY CITY, N.J. |  (Ò°»¨ÉçÇø) will award 1,544 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees during its 2025 Commencement exercises on Wednesday, May 28 when the university honors the Class of 2025 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

There will be one ceremony for all graduates, which will begin promptly at 8 a.m. and will include graduates from all colleges: the School of Business, the College of Professional Studies, the William J. Maxwell College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), the Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education, and CAS/Education dual-degree recipients. Doors will open at 6:50 a.m., and all guests must be seated by 7:40 a.m.

Ò°»¨ÉçÇø Interim President  ​​will preside over his third commencement ceremony as the leader of the university. Dr. Donna Breault, Interim Provost and Senior Vice President and the deans of four colleges will assist in the conferral of degrees.

The ceremony will feature two extraordinary honorees — Ambassador Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón and former U.S. Senator George S. Helmy — who will receive honorary degrees from the university. Ambassador Reynoso will deliver the commencement address to the Class of 2025, highlighting her inspiring personal story and connecting it to the shared experiences of so many Ò°»¨ÉçÇø graduates.

Ambassador Reynoso is a pioneering leader in law, diplomacy, and public service. Her transformative journey from her roots in the Dominican Republic to the highest levels of global leadership exemplifies resilience and excellence. She has served as the first woman to be U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, Chief of Staff to First Lady Jill Biden, and Co-Chair of the White House Gender Policy Council, advancing equity and inclusion worldwide.  She previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay under the Obama Administration and served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. 

In her role as Ambassador, Julissa oversaw a critical U.S. mission with a host of U.S. federal agencies covering economic, political, and defense and security-related matters. She was a tireless advocate for American companies doing business in Spain and supported historic levels of investment by Spanish companies in the U.S. During her tenure, Spain was the host of the 2022 NATO Summit and held the presidency of the Council of the European Union. Today, Ambassador Reynoso Pantaleón serves as a Partner in the law firm of Winston & Strawn LLP.

Helmy is currently the Executive Vice President, Chief External Affairs and Policy Officer for RWJBarnabas Health. He served as a United States Senator from September 2024 through December 2024 after being appointed by Governor Murphy to fill a vacancy. 

From February 2019 through September 2023, Mr. Helmy served as Chief of Staff to Governor Murphy. In this capacity, Helmy helped oversee all aspects of state government, including managing the day-to-day operations of the Governor’s Office. There, he managed and oversaw the Governor's major policy initiatives, legislative agenda, communications strategy, intergovernmental relations, private sector engagement, and community outreach, among other responsibilities. He also served as the Governor’s point person for the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Helmy was the longest-serving gubernatorial Chief of Staff in New Jersey history. 

A native of Jersey City, Mr. Helmy previously served for three years as State Director to U.S. Senator Cory Booker, serving on the Senator's senior staff and overseeing the day-to-day operations of his New Jersey offices. 

Samantha D. Jaipersaud '25 of Jersey City, N.J. will deliver the student response from the Class of 2025 during this year's Commencement exercises. Jaipersaud is graduating with a B.A. in Philosophy with double minors in Pre-Law and Political Science, and her achievements speak volumes about her dedication and leadership. As President of the Ò°»¨ÉçÇø Mock Trial Team (2024-25), she led the team to significant competitive success, earning the prestigious 2025 All-Region Witness Award and Outstanding Witness Awards at both the Rutgers and Drexel Invitationals. She founded the Humanities Club and was recognized with the 2025 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Award. Active in multiple organizations, she also contributed as a member of the Model UN Team and served as Social Media Manager for the Dreamers Club.
 

In total, Ò°»¨ÉçÇø will confer 1,181 undergraduate, 347 graduate, and 16 doctoral degrees during the ceremony. 

The William J. Maxwell College of Arts and Sciences will confer 582 undergraduate degrees, with Psychology (127), Biology (100), and Computer Science (68) the largest majors. The School of Business will graduate 261 undergraduate students, with Management (106), Finance (62) and Accounting (50) having the largest focus. The College of Professional Studies will celebrate Criminal Justice (90), National Security Studies (87), and Nursing (65) among its graduates. Meanwhile, the Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education continues to prepare teachers for New Jersey’s classrooms, highlighted by 199 master’s — led by 60 in Counseling, 37 in Special Education and 31 in Educational Technology — and 12 doctoral degrees being conferred.

Ò°»¨ÉçÇø will also honor its Golden Gothics — representatives of its milestone 50th anniversary class of 1975. 

The ceremony will celebrate students receiving their degrees in January 2025, May 2025, and August 2025. The ceremony may be viewed live at:.

The full program for the Commencement is available here:  

About Ò°»¨ÉçÇø: 
Ò°»¨ÉçÇø is a comprehensive public regional institution committed to providing a high-quality education to a diverse student population. Located in Jersey City, New Jersey, Ò°»¨ÉçÇø offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs and is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for learning, professional development, and community engagement. Recognized as a top university for improving upward economic social mobility, students enrolled in our undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral programs have access to an affordable, diverse environment, and an exceptionally supportive faculty. This prepares them to go on to become the next generation of workers and leaders who improve their communities and the State of New Jersey.

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Contact: 
Ira Thor, Associate Vice President for University Communications and Marketing | ithor@njcu.edu | 201-200-3301