Friends, family, faculty, staff, and students gathered to celebrate the completion of degrees for the newest Antioch University New England graduates. Approximately 130 of AUNE’s 240 graduates walked the stage at Keene Middle School’s auditorium Saturday morning, May 4, 2019. Degrees were conferred to graduates from master’s and doctoral programs in disciplines including psychology, education, management, and environmental studies.
The ceremony began with opening and welcome remarks from AUNE Provost Shawn M. Fitzgerald, PhD and Antioch Chancellor William R. Groves, JD.
Keynote speaker Patricia A. Wand discussed the importance of service. Wand, an Antioch and Peace Corp alumna, made a career in education and libraries that incorporated service to the profession and community. She recently observed, “Service improves the life of the servant as much as it improves the lives of others. Service and learning go hand-in-hand.”
Wand asked the graduates to meditate on the meaning of service.
“Volunteer service means we extend ourselves without financial compensation to improve the lives of others,” said Wand. “I invite you to join me in thinking about this definition of service in a little different way. Let’s extend this concept of service to include anything we do to improve the lives of others.”
Susan Hawes, professor of clinical psychology, and Joy Ackerman, a core faculty member in the environmental studies department, were honored during the ceremony. Both have taught at Antioch for 30-years and will retire in the coming months.
Read more about the Commencement Ceremony in an article in the Keene Sentinel.
