She did it! On April 30, Cathy graduated from Northeastern University in Boston with a degree in Information Science. 
What a great day. I was not looking forward to going to Boston to join the 12,000 graduates with their 40,000+ family members all going to the Fleet Center. My fears were unfounded.
Northeastern University is to be highly commended for orchestrating a highly efficient and enjoyable graduation event. The entrance procession started at 9:00 AM and we were heading out to eat by 12:30 PM. The graduates actually received their real diplomas directly from the dean of their respective colleges. Speaking of deans, I have to mention a word about Northeastern's College of Computer Science and its dean, Larry Finklestein. The College of Computer Science is an incredibly wonderful place to get an education. When we first arrived at the college, Larry gave the usual welcome presentation along with promises and reassurances that parents want to hear. Until you actually receive some of the benefits, you tend to assume this is just lip service. Well at NEU CCS, everything that Larry said or promised was true. There is a student support system in place that sets the stage for success. Of course the student has to want to succeed and expend the required effort to meet the college's requirements. Cathy's advisor, Pat Hinds (on Larry's staff) is a real gem. Anything you need, anything you want, tutors, advice, phone calls or email - always in a timely manner. Larry is always approachable and available.
This school, as with most colleges, is damn expensive. But when you get what you pay for, the financial pain seems less after you see your child transformed into an adult professional. When you go into CCS and talk to the professors you feel the enthusiasm. Richard Rasala is always into the next wave of computing trends. He wrote the software that supports a core infrastructure to teach C++ so the students would not get overwhelmed learning the us
er interface or development tools as freshmen. They could get into programming concepts and techniques right from the start because Richard set up the templates for the learning environment.
There are many other professors who impacted Cathy in a positive light. Viera Proulx taught Cathy the valuable lesson of conforming to requirements and the need for the school to maintain the highest standards as they strive to turn out competent candidates.
I am going to miss the College of Computer Science. It feels like they were part of my family.
What a great day. I was not looking forward to going to Boston to join the 12,000 graduates with their 40,000+ family members all going to the Fleet Center. My fears were unfounded.Northeastern University is to be highly commended for orchestrating a highly efficient and enjoyable graduation event. The entrance procession started at 9:00 AM and we were heading out to eat by 12:30 PM. The graduates actually received their real diplomas directly from the dean of their respective colleges. Speaking of deans, I have to mention a word about Northeastern's College of Computer Science and its dean, Larry Finklestein. The College of Computer Science is an incredibly wonderful place to get an education. When we first arrived at the college, Larry gave the usual welcome presentation along with promises and reassurances that parents want to hear. Until you actually receive some of the benefits, you tend to assume this is just lip service. Well at NEU CCS, everything that Larry said or promised was true. There is a student support system in place that sets the stage for success. Of course the student has to want to succeed and expend the required effort to meet the college's requirements. Cathy's advisor, Pat Hinds (on Larry's staff) is a real gem. Anything you need, anything you want, tutors, advice, phone calls or email - always in a timely manner. Larry is always approachable and available.
This school, as with most colleges, is damn expensive. But when you get what you pay for, the financial pain seems less after you see your child transformed into an adult professional. When you go into CCS and talk to the professors you feel the enthusiasm. Richard Rasala is always into the next wave of computing trends. He wrote the software that supports a core infrastructure to teach C++ so the students would not get overwhelmed learning the us
er interface or development tools as freshmen. They could get into programming concepts and techniques right from the start because Richard set up the templates for the learning environment.There are many other professors who impacted Cathy in a positive light. Viera Proulx taught Cathy the valuable lesson of conforming to requirements and the need for the school to maintain the highest standards as they strive to turn out competent candidates.
I am going to miss the College of Computer Science. It feels like they were part of my family.