Eastern to hold 2 graduation ceremonies this May
Nearly 1,000 students set to receive undergraduate, graduate degrees
Willimantic, CT (05/08/2023) — Eastern Connecticut State University will hold its 132nd annual Commencement Exercises on Tuesday, May 16, at the XL Center in Hartford. A separate graduation ceremony is planned for master's degree candidates on Saturday, May 13, in the Fine Arts Instructional Center on Eastern's Willimantic campus.
Upwards of 900 undergraduates in the Schools of Arts and Sciences and Education and Professional Studies are scheduled to receive their bachelor's degrees on May 16. More than 100 Master of Science candidates are eligible to participate in the May 13 Graduate Commencement and Hooding Ceremony.
Thomas Gibson '96 will give the commencement address at the exercises on May 16. He is a 1996 Eastern graduate and the current chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Gibson will also receive an honorary degree at the ceremony.
"We are pleased to honor Dr. Gibson as this year's commencement speaker," said Eastern President Elsa Nunez. "Dr. Gibson is one of our most accomplished alumni and a prime example of the achievement that can be attained through an Eastern education."
Another Eastern graduate will give Graduate Commencement address on May 13. Jeffrey Brown '79 is the CEO of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. Before his appointment as CEO, Brown had previously served as a Wadsworth trustee. Prior to joining the Wadsworth, Brown held executive leadership positions at Newman's Own, Inc., and the Webster Financial Corp.
The May 16 Commencement Exercises for Eastern undergraduates will feature the Governor's Foot Guard Color Guard, musical selections by Eastern faculty and students, recognition of Daniel Donaghy, this year's Distinguished Professor, and remarks by President Nunez, Ari Santiago, representing the Board of Regents for Higher Education, and Senior Class President Nora Ammouche '23.
On May 13, in addition to Brown's commencement address, Susan Cote '06 and a 2023 master's degree graduate in special education, will also give remarks.
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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving upwards of 4,100 students annually on its Willimantic campus. In addition to attracting students from 160 of Connecticut's 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 32 states and eight countries. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 68 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 20 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2022-23 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 13 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.
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