Cecil K. Watkins '75, M.A. '86 to Receive Honorary Degree from Adelphi University

Cecil Watkins ’75, M.A.’86, governor and boys basketball chairman of New York Metropolitan Amateur Athletic Union, and president and CEO of National Pro-Am City Leagues Association, Inc., will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree from Adelphi University at the 111th Commencement on Monday, May 21, 2007. The ceremony will begin at 10:00 AM in the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale, NY.

Mr. Watkins is the governor and boys basketball chairman of the New York Metropolitan Amateur Athletic Union, a youth sport organization dedicated to the promotion and development of amateur sports programs. The basketball programs are designed to initiate, stimulate, and improve opportunities for amateur basketball competition and to promote and develop leadership, sportsmanship, fitness, and athletic excellence.

Cecil K. Watkins ’75,
M.A. ’86

He is also presently the president and CEO of National Pro-Am City Leagues Association, Inc., a not-for-profit community service organization that specializes in developing and administering turnkey sports league programs and high visibility sporting events in major urban and suburban areas across the country. In addition, the organization is widely recognized as a premier venue for youth and adults to acquire professional experience and employment in all aspects of sports administration.

Mr. Watkins is respected nationwide for his knowledge and leadership in sports and community recreation. Prior to his current leadership roles, Mr. Watkins held various positions, including director of recreation of New York City’s Department of Parks & Recreation, director of community and special programs for the National Basketball Association, and served in the Army as a recreation specialist for two years. He established the prestigious Ray Felix Summer League, which evolved into City-Wide, a nationally recognized summer basketball program in New York City. He co-founded the Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities, Inc., a human service agency serving Corona, East Elmhurst, and Jamaica in Queens, New York. In the past 36 years, he has secured more than 1,800 scholarships for student athletes from the New York metropolitan area.

Mr. Watkins has received more than 100 awards, including the Basketball Congress International Commissioner of the Year Award, Boy Scouts of America Recognition Award, and Queensboro President Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a member of the Adelphi University Athletic Hall of Fame and New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.

He earned his B.A. and M.A. in sports administration and management from Adelphi University. He and his wife Valerie live in Westbury, New York, and have two children, Kara and Keri.

Adelphi University will confirm more than 2,400 graduates at the associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels at its Commencement. Congressman John Lewis will deliver the Commencement Address. Also receiving honorary degrees are Congressman Lewis; Judith Borten ’57, co-founder and board member of TransCen, and William Borten ’57, former Adelphi University Trustee and president and CEO of Atlantic Research Corporation; and Donna Orender, president of the Women’s National Basketball Association. Dr. Robert Moldwin ’80 will be presented with the Ruth S. Harley Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award.

For more information and the full day’s program, please contact Adelphi’s Commencement Office at 516.877.4695, or visit https://www.adelphi.edu/commencement07/.