Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter will confer degrees on 43 students at Penn State Greater Allegheny?s spring commencement beginning at 11a.m. Saturday, May 17, in the Wunderley Gymnasium. Diplomas will be awarded in a number of areas, including business, communications, applied psychology, and information sciences and technology (IST).
Cynthia A. Baldwin will deliver the keynote address. Baldwin is a Penn State alumna and partner in the law firm Duane Morris LLP were she serves in the trial practice group. She was a Justice on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court from 2006 to January 2008. Prior to her appointment as judge she served on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas for over 16 years in the Civil, Family and Juvenile Divisions.
Baldwin received her J.D. from Duquesne University where she was a member of its Law Review. She was both a visiting and an adjunct professor at Duquesne University School of Law and also taught at Widener University Law School in the Trial Advocacy Program. Prior to attending law school, she taught English and was an assistant dean of student affairs at the Penn State Greater Allegheny campus. In addition, Baldwin received her B.A. and M.A. from the Pennsylvania State University in English and American Literature, respectively. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Allegheny County Bar Association, Homer S. Brown Law Association and the Women?s Bar Association. Baldwin is extremely active in the community, serving on several non-profit boards. In February 2008 she was elected to the board of Koppers Holdings Inc. Baldwin is a past gubernatorial appointee to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, serving for 12 years and is a past member of the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing.
Baldwin served as the president of Penn State University international alumni association from 1989 to 1991. She was a gubernatorial appointee to the Penn State University Board of Trustees chair from 2004 through 2006. In addition, she is a member of the Penn State Greater Allegheny Advisory Board.