On Friday, December 13, Unity College will celebrate the achievements of students who are eligible to graduate at the completion of the fall semester. The event will take place at the Unity College Center for the Performing Arts, 42 Depot Street (off Route 202), Unity, from 5-7 p.m.
Participating in the ceremony will be Unity College President Stephen Mulkey; Bruce Nickerson, Chair of the Unity College Board of Trustees; Dr. Michael Evans, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs; Gary Zane, Vice President for Student Affairs; Martha Nordstrom, Director of College Development; and Matthew Dyer ’13, Vice President of the Student Government Association. They will honor the 32 students who are eligible to receive degrees from Unity College. The event is free and open to the College community and general public.
“Unity College is home to hard-working students, some of whom finish their degree requirements early and others, often because they pursued valuable internship, work, or studies, extended their time in College, finishing at the end of the fall semester instead of graduating with their class in the spring,” explained Dr. Melik Peter Khoury, Senior Vice President for External Affairs. “We honor their achievements at this event.”
Khoury added that many of those who are honored during the fall semester upon completing their degree requirements at this event choose to return in the spring to participate in commencement exercises, while for others, some of whom are immediately stepping into jobs, a return to the College in the spring is not possible. Especially for this latter group, the celebration in December is of particular importance, Khoury says.
Marketing Coordinator Kate Gilbert noted that though eligible to graduate in the fall, all are eligible to participate in commencement exercises in May.
“A wonderful, warm community spirit is present every time that we hold this event,” noted Gilbert, who is the lead event planner at Unity College. “It is also wonderful to welcome those who participate in this event and leave the area to pursue their further studies or careers, return to march during commencement in May.”
In recent years Unity College has gained national attention for a variety of achievements including for its focus on sustainability science, the leading-edge of 21st century ecological problem solving and the vanguard in the fight for the mitigation of global climate change; its ground-breaking green innovations such as the award-winning TerraHaus, the first student residence on a college or university campus built to the Passive House standard, the most energy efficient building standard in the world; and being the first college in the United States to divest from investments in fossil fuels, igniting a growing national movement in higher education.
Through the framework of sustainability science, Unity College provides a liberal arts education that emphasizes the environment and natural resources. Through experiential and collaborative learning, our graduates emerge as responsible citizens, environmental stewards, and visionary leaders.
