NewsPress Release: 5/19/02Marlboro College Graduates Largest Class Ever

MARLBORO, VT - Seventy-one seniors received their diplomas during Marlboro College's 55th Commencement on Sunday, May 19. This was the largest graduating class ever at the 56-year-old institution. Linda G. Martin, president of the Population Council, delivered the Commencement address. Emily E. Anderson, a senior from Guilford, Maine, delivered the class address.

Of the 71 graduates, 60 received a Bachelor of Arts degree, four students received a Bachelor of Science degree, and seven students received a Bachelor of Arts in international studies degree. Of the graduating class, 45 were women and 26 were men.

Among the students who received degrees were 12 Vermont residents: Carrie Cleveland of Montpelier; Rachel Frank of Townshend; Rebecca Gembarowski of Brattleboro; Melanie Gottlieb of East Dover; Megan Gray of Putney; Jodina Meehan of Johnson; R. Andrew Murray of Brattleboro; Kyle Nuse of Hyde Park; Heidi Peters of Montpelier; Paula Sperry of Middlebury; Clara Wootton of Brattleboro; and Russell Wootton of Brattleboro.

Linda G. Martin, who also received an honorary doctor of humane letters, is the seventh president of the Population Council, headquartered in New York with offices in Washington, D.C., Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The Population Council is a nonprofit organization that focuses on improving the well-being and reproductive health of current and future generations around the world by conducting policy-relevant research in biomedicine, public health, and the social sciences.

Also receiving honorary degrees were Raymond J. McNulty, Vermont’s commissioner of education and the late Frederick Kunreuther, a Marlboro trustee until his death three months ago. McNulty, former superintendent of schools for the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union gained community-wide praise for his leadership. Kunreuther was recognized for his leadership role on the College's board.

Founded in 1946, Marlboro College offers its 300 undergraduate students a 7:1 student-faculty ratio, a voice in governing the community, and a strong foundation in the liberal arts. The cornerstone of Marlboro's academic program is the Plan of Concentration, an in-depth, self-designed exploration of a field or fields of each student's choosing. The Plan culminates in a major independent project involving research, one-to-one study with faculty in tutorials and a three-hour oral examination with Marlboro faculty and an outside examiner who is an expert in the student's field.