Ruth C. Balkin '73 to Receive Honorary Degree from Adelphi University

The Honorable Ruth C. Balkin ’73 will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree from Adelphi University at its 115th Commencement on Friday, May 20, 2011. The ceremony will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale, NY.

Ruth C. Balkin is an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division Second Judicial Department. Justice Balkin began her legal career in 1977 in the law firm Sutter, Moffatt, Yannelli & Zevin, where she worked until she became a partner in the firm Sutter, Balkin, Marten & Regan in 1984. In 1986, Ruth Balkin became an associate of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, and from 1987 through 1994, she worked as counsel to the Presiding Supervisor and Town Board of Hempstead, New York. She became a judge of the Nassau County Family Court in January of 1995 and held the position until May of 2004. She then served an interim appointment on the Nassau County Supreme Court until the end of 2004. From 2002 to 2004, she was the presiding judge of the Nassau County Family Treatment Court, and from January 2003 to September 2004, was also the supervising judge of the Nassau County Family Court. Justice Balkin was elected to the Supreme Court of New York in November 2004 and was designated to the Appellate Division on December 22, 2006.

Justice Balkin graduated summa cum laude from Adelphi University and received the Chester L. Barrows Award in recognition of scholarly achievement in 1973. She also studied at Harvard, Cornell, and Tel-Aviv Universities. In 1976, she received her law degree from St. John’s University School of Law. Justice Balkin has received numerous awards, including the 2008 Nassau County Women’s Bar Association Rona Seider, Esq. award, the 2004 Inspirational Woman award from the Women’s Criminal Justice Association of Nassau Community College, the 2003 Humanitarian of the Year award presented by the Education and Assistance Corporation, the Nassau County Judicial Committee on Women in the Courts award, and the 2002 Court Officers Benevolent Association of Nassau County Fidelis Juri award.

Ruth Balkin is the daughter of the Hon. Pauline Balkin, retired Judge of the Nassau County Family Court.

Adelphi University will confirm more than 2,700 graduates at the associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels at its Commencement. Honorary degrees will also be given to Suzanne Farrell, eminent ballerina and teacher; and Edwidge Danticat, an award-winning author.

For more information and the full day’s program, please contact Adelphi’s commencement office at 516.877.4695, or visit the Adelphi Commencement website.