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Lafayette will grant 642 degrees to 615 members of the Class of 2019 during the College’s 184th Commencement this Saturday, May 25.
The ceremony will be broadcast live on RCN-4, RCN-1004, and WBPH-60. The on-campus indoor viewing location is the Wilson Room of Pfenning Alumni Center. Follow the ceremony at #LafGrad on Facebook, Insta
Commencement will feature an address by Wes Moore, chief executive officer of the Robin Hood Foundation, and include the awarding of three honorary degrees. The ceremony will start at 2:30 p.m., following the academic procession at 2:15 p.m.
The Commencement exercises are scheduled to be held in Fisher Stadium. In case of rain, Commencement may be held in Allan P. Kirby Sports Center. If there is a change in the location based on the weather, that information will be available by calling 610-330-5809.
The annual Baccalaureate service will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Kirby Sports Center. It will feature reflections and performances by students and remarks by President Alison Byerly; College Chaplain Alexandra Hendrickson; and Robert Weiner, Jewish chaplain and Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Professor of History.
Byerly will award Moore an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree. She also will award honorary degrees to Hyman Muss ’64, pioneer in the treatment of breast cancer in older women (Doctor of Science), and musician Max Weinberg (Doctor of Music).
Reeve Lanigan ’19, who was selected by the campus community as the recipient of the George Wharton Pepper Prize, will speak and present the sword of the Marquis de Lafayette to classmates. The Pepper Prize is awarded annually to the senior “who most nearly represents the Lafayette ideal.” Lanigan, of Lebanon, N.J., will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in government & law and women’s and gender studies.
Byerly will congratulate recipients of annual awards for distinguished teaching, scholarship, and service to the College and recognize faculty members who are retiring and have been elected to emeritus status. They are Diane Cole Ahl, Arthur J. ’55 and Barbara S. Rothkopf Professor of Art History; George Rosa, Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures; Diane Windham Shaw, Director of Special Collections and College Archives, and Leonard Van Gulick, Matthew Baird Professor of Mechanical Engineering.
Robert Sell ’84, chair of the Board of Trustees, will recognize four trustees who are retiring from the board and will be elected to emeritus status. They are James Fisher ’77, Elisabeth Hughes MacDonald ’81, Donald Morel ’79, and Kent Rockwell ’66. In addition, Ed Ahart ’69 will receive the Lafayette Medal for Distinguished Service.
Isabella Fiorita ’19, Rachna Kota ’19, and McKenna Schimmel ’19, chairs of the Senior Class Gift Committee, will present the class gift. Fiorita, of Greenwich, Conn., will receive a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in international affairs. Kota, of Exton, Pa., will receive a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in film & media studies and psychology. Schimmel, from Geneva, Ill., will receive a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in biochemistry.
Byerly will confer degrees upon the graduates and deliver farewell remarks. Assisting in presenting diplomas will be Robert Root, clerk of the faculty, and Erica D’Agostino, dean of advising and co-curricular programs.
Four students achieved a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point average in the class. They will be recognized as valedictorians and will be the first to receive his/her/their diplomas. Connor Burwell ’19 of Houston, Texas, will receive a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in philosophy and government & law. Kristen Cirincione ’19 of Hopewell Junction, N.Y., will receive a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Nicholas Grams ’19 of Fairfield, Pa., will receive a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Emily Moore ’19 of Whitehouse Station, N.J., will receive a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering.
Ed Kerns, Eugene H. Clapp II ’36 Professor of Art, will lead the academic procession as Bearer of the Mace. The mace is carried by the faculty member senior in the rank of full professor. Chris Hunt, dean of students, will marshal the Class of 2019. Provost Abu Rizvi will march at the head of the faculty. Alan Griffith ’64, trustee emeritus and former chair of the board, will lead the trustees and the platform party.
Hendrickson will deliver the invocation and give the benediction.
Alexandra Bishop ’19, Jennifer Burkhart ’19, Elias Chin Mueller ’19, and Joshua Nolan ’19 will lead the singing of “America the Beautiful” and “The Alma Mater.” Bishop, of West Grove, Pa., will receive a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in English and psychology. Burkhart, of Edison, N.J., will receive a Bachelor of Science in Psychology degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in art. Mueller, of Chester, Conn., will receive a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering degree. Nolan, of Cambridge, Mass., will receive a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics degree.