May 23, 2005 (Vol. 1, No. 9)

Making the Grade–19 Years Later

This is the first in a series of profiles of selected graduates of the class of 2005.

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again," goes the saying–even if it means trying again 19 years later. That's just what Terence Mulvey, a retired New York City Police Detective, did when he returned to Lehman College in 1997 to finish what he had started in 1977.

When Mulvey first enrolled at Lehman, he was not exactly eager to be part of the student body. His lack of interest, coupled with his desire to start earning some cash, led him to drop out after just three semesters. Now, after eight years as a part-time student, Mulvey will graduate this June magna cum laude. He will also receive the Thomas Hunter Prize, awarded to the graduating senior with the highest G.P.A. in history, his major field.

After leaving Lehman in 1977, Mulvey quickly found employment working for the railroad company Conrail, now Metro North. Five years later, he joined the New York City Police Department. In August 2003, he retired after a twenty-year career on the force that included service in several Manhattan precincts and the drug enforcement task force, as well as on the executive protection unit for Mayor Giuliani's family.

Mulvey says that his years of working as a detective brought him into contact with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures, which helped him to understand and sympathize with different kinds of people, particularly children. "In my line of work, you see so many things," he explained, "and seeing what kids go through made me realize that you really have to get them when they're young." It also made him think about going into teaching.

Possessed with a drive to succeed this time around, Mulvey reentered the Lehman scene with a renewed sense of focus and appreciation for a good education.

"The quality that I find so impressive about Terence is his perseverance," says History Department Chair Duane Tananbaum. "When he came back, he had matured and understood the need for and value of a good education. He applied himself to his studies and did outstanding work in all his courses."

Mulvey intends to pursue his master's degree and eventually teach on the elementary school level.

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