Commencement to be held in Bristol Field House
19 May 2019 Commencement to be held in Bristol Field House
Executive Editor ofThe New Yorkerand former Hobart and William Smith Colleges Trustee Dorothy H. Wickenden 76, L.H.D. 14 will deliver the 2019 Commencement address. Due to the forecast of rain and thunderstorms, the Commencement ceremony will take place in the Robert A. Bristol 31 Field House at 10 a.m. Tickets are NOT required; information is available on parking and the shuttle route here. More coverage on Commencement 2019, including photo galleries and videos will be postedhere.
The 2019 Commencement ceremony marks the 108th graduation for William Smith and the 194th for Hobart. This year, the Colleges will award 506 undergraduate degrees and 12 masters of arts in teaching candidates, as well as one College Experience Certificate through the HWS and ARC partnership program. To recognize the achievements of two distinguished alums, the Colleges will confer honorary degrees on Edward Froelich 55 and Gloria Robinson Lowry 52. A live steam of Commencement 2019 will be available online.
HWS will also celebrate the early childhood educators of graduating HWS seniors for their impact on the lives of students during elementary, middle and high school through the Touching the Future award. This years recipient is culinary arts teacher Tina Hartounian at San Fernando Senior High School in San Fernando, Calif. She was nominated by William Samayoa 19.
The student class speakers for 2019 Commencement are Alexander Kerai 19 and Jemma Roche 19. Both students were selected for the poignancy of their remarks and their leadership roles with the Classes of 2019.
Before joining The New Yorker, Wickenden spent 15 years at The New Republic, first as managing editor and later as executive editor. Wickenden went on to serve as national affairs editor of Newsweek before moving to The New Yorker in 1995. In addition to her role as executive editor, which she has held since 1996, she is the moderator of The New Yorkers weekly podcast, The Political Scene.
During her distinguished career, Dorothy Wickenden has demonstrated a diligence and fearlessness in pursuing important news that reflects the Colleges values of intellectual rigor, integrity and citizenship, says Interim President Patrick A. McGuire L.H.D. 12. Under her leadership, The New Yorker has played a critical role in elevating public discourse on vital issues, from national politics and foreign affairs to the #MeToo movement. She is an accomplished journalist, author, and executive whose experience makes her uniquely suited to address the world into which our seniors will graduate.
Wickenden graduated from William Smith magna cum laude as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, earning her B.A. in English with high honors. She served as a member of the Colleges Board of Trustees from 1994-1998, received the Presidents Medal at Hobart and William Smith in 2006, and in 2014, an honorary doctorate from the Colleges. Read more about Wickendens career here.