BRATTLEBORO — Former Vermont Gov. Madeleine Kunin will be the commencement speaker for the 18th Marlboro College Graduate and Professional Studies commencement, taking place on Saturday, August 22.
The event celebrating Marlboro's 44 graduating students will take place at Centre Congregational Church, Brattleboro, starting at 10 a.m., and is free and open to the public.
“I can imagine no more appropriate or auspicious send-off for our graduates than an address from Governor Kunin,” said Kevin Quigley, incoming president of Marlboro College, in a news release.
Quigley served for 10 years on the board of the Institute for Sustainable Communities, a non-governmental organization founded by Kunin in 1991. “Madeleine brings a wealth of experience in government and civil society that will add tremendous significance to this final ceremony for our graduate and professional studies students.”
After serving as a Vermont state legislator and lieutenant governor, Madeleine Kunin was Vermont's first woman governor from 1985 to 1991. She went on to serve as U.S. deputy secretary of education in the Clinton administration and U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland, the country of her birth. Kunin is now a Marsh Scholar Professor-at-Large at the University of Vermont, and published four books, most recently The New Feminist Agenda.
The 44 Marlboro students celebrated on Aug. 22 will represent six of the master's programs, one certificate program, and one bachelor's completion program offered by Marlboro College Graduate and Professional Studies.
In addition to Governor Kunin, the graduates will be addressed by two of their peers, chosen for the impact of their final Capstone projects: Jodi Clark, who will receive an M.S. in managing mission-driven organizations; and John Pfordresher, who will receive an M.A. in teaching English to speakers of other languages.
“These are two very special stories we have to share with you,” said Sean Conley, associate dean for graduate and professional studies. “These students were selected because their stories embody the approach we take to education at Marlboro, one that is more collaborative than competitive, one that inspires creative leadership. These are folks that see the box and think beyond it.”