Jersey City, NJ (May 4, 2005)– National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and his brother, John Tagliabue ’67, a journalist with The New York Times, will collaborate on the commencement address to the Saint Peter’s College Class of 2005 on Monday, May 23 rd at The New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark , NJ . Ceremonies begin at 6:30 p.m. The Tagliabue brothers and Cecile Dickey ‘87 will also receive honorary degrees from the College at the institution’s 114 th commencement exercises. “We are pleased to award Paul and John Tagliabue and Cecile Dickey honorary degrees from Saint Peter’s College,” said College President James N. Loughran, S.J. “The Tagliabues are proud of their Jersey City roots and Paul and John have put into practice the Jesuit ideal of service to others in their respective careers,” Father Loughran added. “Cecile Dickey’s dedication and devotion to working on behalf of the most vulnerable in our society has made a positive and lifelong impact on the lives of so many young people.” A Jersey City native, Paul Tagliabue has served as Commissioner since 1989. He attended Saint Michael’s High School in Union City as a scholastic All America basketball player. He earned his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University as a Dean’s list honor graduate and was a Rhodes Scholar finalist.
Tagliabue also served as president of his senior class and captain of the basketball team. He then earned his law degree in 1965 from New York University . He is a former Chair of the Board of Governors of the United Way of America . John Tagliabue is a correspondent for The New York Times in Paris . He previously served as a correspondent in Rome and bureau chief in Berlin and Warsaw . John Tagliabue has covered several major events during his 25-year career as a journalist, including the rise of the Solidarity movement in Poland, the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II and the fall of communism in many Eastern European countries. Cecile Dickey is the Executive Director and President of both Paterson ‘s nationally recognized Head Start and the New Jersey Head Start programs. She has received Head Start’s highest service award and was inducted into the National Head Start Association Hall of Fame.
Saint Peter’s College is the Jesuit College of New Jersey. Founded in 1872, Saint Peter’s has an enrollment of approximately 3,000 students in undergraduate and graduate programs. The main campus is located in Jersey City. The College has a branch campus for adults in Englewood Cliffs and also offers courses at various corporate sites at the Jersey City waterfront, in Newark and in South Amboy.