Curry Magazine Summer 2006

Commencement 2006

Curry College celebrated Commencement on May 14, 2006. Graduating our largest class ever, Curry conferred 696 degrees on students from 23 states and 3 countries, including 366 traditional undergraduate students, 285 undergraduates from the Division of Continuing and Graduate Studies, and 45 graduate students. Of the 651 undergraduates, 489 received Bachelors of Arts degrees and 162 received Bachelors of Science degrees.

Torrential rain didn't dampen the enthusiasm of thousands of graduates and guests who gathered under a huge tent at the D. Forbes Will Athletic Complex for Curry's 126th Commencement ceremony. Others filled the Miller Gymnasium to keep dry and watch the ceremony on closed-circuit television.

Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill

Provides Commencement Address

State Treasurer Timothy Cahill received an honorary degree in Public Service and gave a memorable Commencement address to the Class of 2006 urging them to: embrace failure; learn from it; and never, never quit.

"Disappointment is not a sign of weakness, but a call for strength," he said. "Success almost always follows failure, just like the sunshine will follow all this rain."

Massachusetts State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill addresses the Curry College Class of 2006.

Timothy P. Cahill serves as Massachusetts State Treasurer and Receiver General. As the Commonwealth's Chief Financial Officer, he brings a business-minded approach to managing the state's finances and has implemented better business practices in the Treasury's departments and affiliated agencies.

Treasurer Cahill's accomplishments include managing the Massachusetts School Building Authority, an independent agency reformed in 2004 that oversees all school construction financing. The MSBA will clear a backlog of "wait listed" project reimbursements in two years,

and will begin payments for new school construction projects in FY08, saving taxpayers millions of dollars.

Treasurer Cahill returned $936 million in Lottery aid to the state in FY05 - the largest amount of Lottery assistance ever generated for the Commonwealth — and more than $2 billion to the state since taking office.

Reallocated assets of the Pension Reserves Investment Trust Fund, which has increased over 50% since Treasurer Cahill took office, includes its highest return in history of 26.42% in 2003. As of December 31, 2005, the PRIT Fund totaled over $40.2 billion. Treasurer Cahill also

returned $135 million in abandoned property to rightful owners, and collecting a record $851 million since FY03 — the highest amount ever collected in Massachusetts history. Partnering with eBay, Treasurer Cahill also launched the first ever on-line auction of tangible property in Massachusetts in 2005.

Prior to his election in 2002, Cahill served as Norfolk County Treasurer from 1997-2002, as a Quincy City Councilor from 1987-2003, and was a successful small business owner and the author of a book about local businessmen. Treasurer Cahill lives in Quincy with his wife, Tina, and their four daughters.