LAWRENCE: Rider alums to receive honorary degrees

   Two Rider University alumni will receive honorary degrees at the school’s graduation ceremony May 16 at 9:30 a.m. The ceremony will be held on the Rider University campus.
   Joan C. Mazzotti, who earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Rider University in 1972, will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters. She graduated from Villanova University’s School of Law.
   Ms. Mazzotti is the executive director of Philadelphia Futures, which is a nonprofit organization that helps first-generation urban students attend college. It has helped more than 1,000 low-income students attending high school in Philadelphia to enroll and succeed in college.
   Howard Stoeckel, who graduated from Rider University in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, will receive an honorary doctor of laws.
   Mr. Stoeckel is the vice chairman of the board of directors of Wawa Inc. He served as Wawa’s chief executive officer from 2004 to 2012 — the first person outside of the founding family to hold the position. The company operates nearly 600 convenience stores in six states.