For Immediate Release Contact:
Daphne Larkin
May 31, 2012
802-485-2886
or 595-3613(m)
or on Twitter @NorwichNews
NEWS RELEASE
Norwich graduate
school announces speaker for 2012 commencement ceremony
NORTHFIELD,
Vt. – Officials
at Norwich University’s College
of Graduate and Continuing Studies (CGCS) announced that former Congressman Paul
McHale will be this year’s commencement speaker.
On Friday, June
15, McHale will address approximately 656 graduates from nine different online
master’s programs and
one bachelor’s degree completion program at a 10 a.m. ceremony in Shapiro Field House.
McHale is the
president of Civil Support International LLC, a consulting firm offering
advisory services to government agencies and private contractors related to
military sales, homeland defense, disaster preparedness and crisis response.
McHale was
elected to represent the15th Congressional district of Pennsylvania in the
United States House of Representatives where he served for three terms
(1992-1998). Throughout that period, he was an active member of the House Armed
Services Committee which has oversight responsibility for all U.S. military
operations and training. Additionally, while serving as Congressman, Mr. McHale
co-founded the National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus which advocates the
interests of reservists and guardsmen worldwide. He was previously elected to
five terms in the Pennsylvania General Assembly (1982-1991).
From 2003 -
2009, McHale served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense,
where he supervised all homeland defense activities for the US Department of
Defense (DoD). The first to hold that position, he was responsible for homeland
preparedness, DoD Critical Infrastructure Protection, civilian oversight of the
two combatant commands that cover North and South America, and the transfer of
technologies to homeland security use pursuant to Section 1401 of the 2003 DoD
Authorization Act.
As the Domestic
Crisis Manager for DoD, McHale’s responsibilities focused on disaster relief
planning, to include terrorist threats, earthquakes, hurricanes, industrial
accidents and pandemic influenza. He routinely represented DoD at the highest
levels of US domestic crisis planning.
“We are
delighted to have Paul McHale address our graduates given his insight on
important contemporary policy issues founded on his significant experience in
Congress and the Department of Defense,” said CGCS Dean and Vice President
William Clements. “Paul McHale is a thoughtful and wonderful speaker that
all of our students will learn from in a meaningful way as they begin a new chapter
in their lives at commencement.”
For his
service as Congressman and Assistant Secretary of Defense, McHale has been
awarded the DoD Distinguished Public Service Medal - the department’s highest
civilian honor - by each of the past three Secretaries of Defense.
˜˜˜
Norwich University is a diversified academic institution that
educates traditional-age students and adults in a Corps of Cadets and as
civilians. Norwich offers a broad selection of traditional and
distance-learning programs culminating in Baccalaureate and Graduate Degrees. Norwich University
was founded in 1819 by Captain Alden Partridge of the U.S. Army.
Norwich University is the oldest private military college in the United States
of America and the birthplace of our nation's Reserve Officers’ Training Corps
(ROTC). www.norwich.edu
Norwich University’s College of Graduate and Continuing Studies (CGCS) builds
upon the institution’s 193 year academic heritage with innovative online
master’s degrees in a variety of areas. CGCS also offers a certificate in
teaching and learning; a certificate in continuity of governmental operations
and a bachelor’s completion program. The programs are recognized throughout the
industry for their rigor, small class size, high student satisfaction and
retention. http://graduate.norwich.edu/
