Natalie Zacpal, who received her Doctorate in psychology in counseling and school psychology, delivered her remarks during Rivier University's 90th Commencement ceremony on May 11 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass. Courtesy photo/Rivier University

LOWELL, Mass – Rivier University set a new school record, awarding 1,092 degrees during its 90th Commencement ceremony on May 11 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass.

Within the total figure, there were 55 Associate’s degrees, 283 Bachelor’s degrees, 719 Master’s degrees, 15 Doctorates and 19 post-Master’s certificates.

During his keynote address, William Conway, Jr., co-founder of the Carlyle Group, said it has been his mission to help people “get and retain good jobs” ever since the 2008 financial crisis.

He did this by addressing the nationwide nursing shortage. Last year, the Bedford Falls Foundation, established by Conway and his late wife, Joanne Barkett Conway, awarded Rivier a $2 million grant to launch the Joanne and William Conway Nursing Scholarship.

Conway said the foundation currently provides scholarships to 4,000 students at 45 universities in 20 states. This year alone, he is also expecting that 100 Rivier students will be on Conway scholarships.

William Conway, Jr., co-founder of the Carlyle Group, delivered the keynote address at this year's graduation on May 11 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass. Courtesy photo/Rivier University

“Many of these students are juggling family issues and full-time jobs while going to school,” he said. “I can assure you, they don’t get these scholarships because I grew up in Nashua, they get these scholarships because they deserve them.”

Conway also spoke about his time working in Washington D.C., when he would always pass a group of homeless people on his way to Church at 7:30 in the morning.

“I didn’t want to see them, I kind of wanted them to be invisible to me,” he said. “In my past, I haven’t always passed the Good Samaritan test.”

After a while, Conway could no longer stand by and do nothing. He began interacting with those individuals, asking for their names and occasionally giving them a muffin or a Dunkin Donuts gift card.

One day, he said he saw a man wearing a black plastic trash bag.

“There were lots of people around, but nobody was helping this guy,” said Conway.

He told the man to sit down and wait for him while he went back to his office to grab a couple of t-shirts.

“Suppose a small act of kindness, without any anticipation of getting any reward, made someone else’s day one percent better,” said Conway. “Or suppose somebody helped to make your day one percent better. Maybe it would make all the difference.”

In addition to his work with the Carlyle Group, Conway has supported numerous educational and medical institutions, including serving as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Johns Hopkins Medicine and as a trustee of The Catholic University of America.

Conway also received an honorary degree during the graduation.

“It is our privilege to recognize Mr. Conway’s extraordinary contributions to education and healthcare and his unwavering commitment to the nursing profession,” said university President Sister Paula Marie Buley, IHM. “His generosity of spirit and visionary leadership has profoundly impacted our nursing students and enriched the region’s workforce.”

Natalie Zacpal, who received her Doctorate in psychology in counseling and school psychology, spoke about the intense academic rigors faced by students pursuing Master’s degrees or Doctorates.

“Graduate school isn’t for the faint of heart, it tests you in ways no one can really prepare you for,” she said. “You balanced work, life, study, family and children. We endured, not because we’re superhuman but because we’re resilient, persevering, over-caffeinated warriors.”