Saturday, September 8, Chapin Hall
Fall Convocation marks the beginning of the academic year. This ceremony celebrates Senior Class and its many accomplishments, and introduces five exceptionally interesting Williams graduates who will receive Bicentennial Medals.
10:15 a.m. Academic Procession lines up
10:40 a.m. Academic Procession begins
11:00 a.m. Program begins in Chapin Hall
The program lasts about an hour. An all-campus picnic follows on Chapin Lawn.
Seniors and faculty march in caps and gowns, so please follow one of these links for specific instructions:
Information for the Senior Class
Information for Emeritus Faculty
The Bicentennial Medals recognize alumni for “significant achievement in any field of endeavor.” We hope that seniors will find the recipients’ career paths and their accomplishments inspiring as they begin to think of life after college. The 2012 Bicentennial Medalists are:
DAVID S. PARESKY ’60
A travel industry pioneer who, with his wife Linda, turned their two-employee agency into a $2 billion global enterprise, Paresky is an equally visionary and effective philanthropist.
NORMAN P. SPACK ’65
An internationally recognized pediatric endocrinologist, Spack co-founded a groundbreaking clinic at Boston Children’s Hospital for intersex and transgender youth and their families.
CHARLES N. WAIGI ’72
Waigi is founding director of the Jeremy Academy in his hometown of Limuru, Kenya—a school nationally acclaimed for its financially impoverished students’ educational attainments.
KATHLEEN A. MERRIGAN ’82
Deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Merrigan is widely regarded as the moving force behind the development of federal organic food standards.
ERIN I . BURNETT ’98
Currently the host of CNN’s primetime show “Erin Burnett OutFront,” Burnett is a television journalist who also reported for NBC News, CNBC, and MSNBC. She will give the Convocation Address.
Students and others are encouraged to come to the following event the day before Convocation to hear the medalists share their life stories.
A Conversation with the Bicentennial Medalists
4:00 p.m. Friday, September 7, Adams Memorial Theater, ’62 Center
Questions? Please contact Carrie Greene or Jeff Strait, the College Marshal.
