Skidmore's 101st Commencement May 19 at SPAC
Blanchard
Skidmore's Class of 2012, totaling 627 baccalaureate candidates and 12 candidates for the master of arts in liberal studies, will participate in the College's 101st Commencement Saturday, May 19, at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. The ceremony begins at 10:40 a.m.
Grace Burton, associate professor of Spanish, was chosen by the graduates to deliver the commencement remarks. A Skidmore faculty member since 1987, she was the recipient this year of the College's Ralph Ciancio Prize for Excellence in Teaching. Whether leading classes in introductory Spanish and intermediate language and literature, or working with advanced independent students, "language and literature come to life through Grace," noted a recent Skidmore graduate.
The following honorary degree recipients also will deliver brief remarks:
--Terence Blanchard, jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, arranger, and multiple Grammy Award winner. Invited to participate in pre-orientation, Blanchard was a model for first-year students when they arrived in September 2008, and is committed to the rigorous education of college students, the critical connections between art and learning, and the general betterment of the world around him.
Chernow
--Ron Chernow, American biographer whose books have won multiple awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Washington: A Life, and the National Book Award for The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance. Chernow is past president of the board of trustees and currently a vice president for the PEN American Center, the eastern U.S. branch of International PEN, the literary and human rights organization.
Thomas
--Suzanne Corbet Thomas, Skidmore Class of 1962, chair of the Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2008 and the ultimate Skidmore ambassador. Thomas has worked tirelessly on behalf of the College and has provided leadership in numerous volunteer roles, including the highly successful Creative Thought Bold Promise Campaign.
Others congratulating the graduates during the program will be Skidmore President Philip Glotzbach,Janet Lucas Whitman '59, chair of the board of trustees, and Melvis Langyintuo, president of the Class of 2012.
