By Sanjit Sethi on May 11, 2022 Image Dear MCAD Community, I am delighted to share that the chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, will give the Spring 2022 commencement address on May 14. As you know, it will be the first in-person commencement at MCAD in over two years. Dr. Jackson’s decision to accept my invitation to speak to our graduates is an acknowledgment of the creativity and resilience of the MCAD community. Dr. Jackson assumed the role of chair of the NEA in January 2022. Her career has focused on elevating arts, culture, and design as critical elements of healthy communities. In 2013, President Obama appointed Jackson to the National Council on the Arts. Previously, she was cochair of the County of Los Angeles Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative. In addition, we will present Dr. Jackson with an honorary doctorate degree from MCAD in recognition of her invaluable contributions to the arts. All my best, Sanjit Sethi In the Press New chair of National Endowment for the Arts lands in Minnesota to talk 'artful lives' (startribune.com—May 24, 2022)