
TROY, Mich., Feb. 1, 2021 — Walsh’s first virtual commencement ceremony took place on Saturday, Jan. 23 for 686 graduates and featured keynote addresses from Betty Chu, MD, senior vice president, associate chief clinical officer and chief quality officer of Henry Ford Health System (HFHS), and Veronika Scott, founder and CEO of The Empowerment Plan, an internationally recognized workforce development organization. Chu and Scott were each awarded an honorary doctor of laws. The speakers’ core messages complemented one another, with Chu encouraging graduates to define their purpose and use innovation to create positive change, and Scott describing how she used a college class project as an opportunity to help families experiencing homelessness become financially stable.
In addition to her role with HFHS, Chu was recently appointed by Governor Whitmer as the Co-Chair of the Michigan Nursing Homes COVID-19 Preparedness Task Force. She has been recognized in DBusiness Powered by Women 2020, Esteemed Woman of Michigan in 2018, Crain’s Detroit Business “40 Under 40” in 2010 and was awarded the Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce Professional Leadership Award. Chu has served on the Walsh Board of Trustees and donated a Mother’s Room to Walsh’s Troy campus.
Scott is recognized as the youngest recipient of the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award from the JFK Library Foundation at Harvard University. She was awarded an IDEA Gold Award from the Industrial Design Society of America and the People’s Voice Award from Diane von Furstenberg. She has also been recognized as one of Forbes’ “30 Under 30” and named one of CNN’s 10 Visionary Women. The Empowerment Plan has been shared at the World Summit on Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Forbes 400 Philanthropy Summit.
Walsh’s 115th commencement honored graduates from ages 20 to 64, representing 15 countries, as well as several graduates and faculty who served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
For more information, please visit www.walshcollege.edu.
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ABOUT WALSH
Walsh is an all-business, private, independent, not-for-profit, fully accredited college offering undergraduate, graduate and doctoral business and technology degrees, as well as certificate programs. Founded in 1922, Walsh is one of Southeast Michigan’s largest graduate business schools, offering classes in several locations and online. Our internationally and nationally-ranked programs integrate theory and application to prepare graduates for successful careers. Walsh degree programs include accounting, data analytics, finance, information technology, human resources, management, marketing, taxation and other fields. For more information, please visit www.walshcollege.edu.
Walsh is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org) and the Accreditation Council for Business Schools & Programs (www.acbsp.org).