MELROSE PARK, Pa.—The president of a neighboring university will receive an honorary doctorate on Sunday, May 19, during Gratz College’s 119th commencement.

John Fry, president of Drexel University and a pioneer in online and hybrid education, will be hooded during commencement exercises, held in Gratz’s Weisbein Auditorium. Fry, who also will deliver the commencement address, said the two institutions share a kinship beyond their proximity. Drexel is located about 12 miles from Gratz’s campus in Melrose Park and the institutions were established just four years apart—Drexel in 1891 and Gratz in 1895.

“The connections between our two institutions are instructive for what they say about higher education, community and progress in Philadelphia,” Fry said. “Both have grand ambitions that stem from an ethos that reaches all the way back to the founders of Gratz and Drexel.”
 
Founded by the community leader Hyman Gratz, who was influenced by his sister Rebecca Gratz, a pioneer Jewish educator, Gratz College sought to serve Philadelphia’s Jewish community and educate Hebrew teachers. It was one of two colleges in the region to accept women on par with men. The other was Drexel, established by Wall Street pioneer Anthony J. Drexel and dedicated to raising the educational opportunities for all people, regardless of gender, race, or creed.

Gratz and Drexel are now “evolved institutions,” Fry said. The majority of Gratz students are not Jewish, and the majority of Drexel students are not studying engineering, which, for decades, was Drexel’s core discipline.

The two institutions are growing opportunities and training the next generation of conscientious citizens, Fry said. But Gratz and Drexel have moral obligations as well.
 
“In the Judaic tradition, this is known as tikkun olam—the belief that we have a duty to repair the world,” he said. “I hope that for our graduates—either those setting out in their careers, or those taking new steps along a well-established route—I hope that the idea that we need to create a better world is appealing. To the extent that this idea guides what you do, I know that you cannot go wrong.”
 
Gratz will welcome 70 graduates during Sunday’s commencement, including the first graduate from the Jewish Professional Studies program and one graduate of the Education Leadership Ed.D. program. It will also confer degrees on 40 graduates of the M.A. in Education program, 10 graduates of the M.A. in Holocaust and Genocide Studies program, one graduate of the M.A. in Jewish Education program, five graduates of the M.A. in Jewish Studies program, and eight graduates of the M.S. in Nonprofit Management program. Additionally, two students will earn Master’s Plus Certificates in Distinguished Teaching and Learning, and one will receive a Graduate Certificate in Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
 
“Congratulations to all the graduates,” said Dr. Honour Moore, interim dean of Academic Affairs. “These are significant achievements, and this commencement pays tribute to many long years of hard work and dedication.”
 
Commencement for the class of 2019 begins at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 19, at Gratz College, 7605 Old York Road, Melrose Park, PA.