74-year-old Former Lawyer and Financial Analyst to Graduate

May 5, 2003 - C.W. Post student Robert Black will be receiving a bachelor’s degree in psychology when the college celebrates its commencement exercises on Sunday, May 11, 2003. He will be graduating with a 3.88 GPA and is being awarded the Marie Ungarelli Memorial Award for academic excellence. Sound like your typical high-achieving college student? Not exactly: this student is a 74-year-old former lawyer and finance professional.

About two-and-a-half years ago, Black started cutting back his schedule as a financial analyst at Morgan Stanley to make time for psychology classes at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in Brookville. "I chose the discipline because it was something I was always curious about and thought it might enable me to help others or at the very least understand myself better," he says.

When he was a young man, Black said, he thought he would become a musician. He graduated from a music and art high school but switched to engineering in college because he thought it would provide a more stable lifestyle. After graduating, he was drafted into the army during the Korean conflict. Upon his return, he attended Brooklyn Law School under the GI Bill and was accepted by the New York State Bar in 1956. For 20 years he practiced patent law and then switched careers. He became a financial advisor, first for E.F. Hutton and then for Dean Witter, which is now Morgan Stanley. He retired at the end of last year.

Black, a resident of Manhasset who will be celebrating 50 years of marriage with his wife Selma in June and has three children and six grandchildren, says he has enjoyed his time at C.W. Post. "The college has a great deal of warmth," he says. Despite the age difference between Mr. Black and younger students, he said he had no trouble fitting in. "I was worried when I started that the young college students would see this senior citizen and I would feel self-conscious. It wasn’t that way at all." In fact, twenty percent of the student body at C.W. Post is comprised of "returnees" (age 25 and up).

"It certainly was a pleasure to work with him," said Mary Suddaby, Associate Director of Adult Student Services at C.W. Post. "He has a wonderful sense of humor, is well spoken and was very intent on going back to school."

Although Black isn’t certain what he’ll do with his degree yet, he’s satisfied with the work he’s done. "If I could, I’d love to be a therapist and help people."

Black will be one of more than 1,600 students who will don their caps and gowns on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 11, 2003 for 45th annual commencement exercises of the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. The campus has awarded more than 85,000 degrees in its 49-year history, through a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs. For additional information, call the Office of Public Relations at (516) 299-2333.