Undergraduate Commencement Speaker Announced

The University of Scranton announced that Most Reverend George V. Murry, S.J., Ph.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, will be the principal speaker at its undergraduate commencement on Sunday, May 27. He will also receive an honorary degree from the University at the ceremony.

A member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Murry currently serves as chair of its Committee Against Racism, which was formed in August 2017 “… to focus on addressing the sin of racism in our society, and even in our Church, and the urgent need to come together as a society to find solutions.”

 “Bishop Murry’s leadership in the Church, his Jesuit roots, his experience in Jesuit higher education, and his important work in combating racism in our society, all combine, I believe, to make him a wonderful choice for this honor. He is someone who has the ability to deliver a timely and important message for our students, their families and guests,” said Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., interim president of The University of Scranton.

Prior to his service as Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, which began in 2007, Bishop Murry served as Bishop of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands and Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago. For 20 years previously, he worked as a teacher and administrator in Catholic education, serving as associate vice president for academic affairs at the University of Detroit-Mercy, president of Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C., assistant professor of American studies at Georgetown University and as a faculty member and dean of student activities at Gonzaga College High School, Washington, D.C.

Bishop Murry has served on numerous boards including of Catholic Relief Services, Saint Joseph’s University, the University of Detroit, Fairfield University, and Mount Saint Mary’s College. As a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, he also served as secretary of the Conference, chairman of the Committee on Priorities and Plans.

A native of Camden, New Jersey, Bishop Murry attended Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia; St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Connecticut; and St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1972 and was ordained for the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus on June 9, 1979. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley and a doctorate in American cultural history from George Washington University.

The University of Scranton’s undergraduate commencement ceremony will be held at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, on Sunday, May 27, at noon.