Joe Piscopo to earn honorary doctorate

Actor and comedian Joe Piscopo is to serve as the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony of New Jersey's Centenary College Saturday. The 62-year-old Passaic, N.J., native and "Saturday Night Live" veteran is to be presented with an honorary doctorate when he addresses Centenary's graduating class of 191 students in Hackettstown. "I am so pleased that we can honor Mr. Piscopo in this manner," Dr. Barbara-Jayne Lewthwaite, Centenary College President, said in a statement. "The campus community and I look forward to hearing his address. I also would like to congratulate our graduates for their dedication and hard work, and want to welcome them as Centenary College alumni." A member of the New Jersey Hall of Fame, Piscopo has appeared in the films "Wise Guys," "Johnny Dangerously," "Dead Heat," "Sidekicks," "Bartleby" and "How Sweet It Is." Piscopo was the head of the Positive Impact Foundation, which was dedicated to creating positive media for at-risk youth. He later merged his foundation with the Boys and Girls Club of New Jersey and is now their statewide spokesman. Piscopo recently received the Volunteer of the Year Award from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer County, N.J., and was the keynote speaker at the Big Brothers Big Sisters National Conference in Chicago. For his support of the United States military forces, Piscopo was presented with the Commendation Medal, the highest civilian award from the state of New Jersey.