Published: June 2009
To gain a participant’s perspective, @BC asked four graduating seniors—Patrick Bittorf of the Lynch School of Education, Lindsay Paladino of the Carroll School of Management, Brittney Sullivan of the Connell School of Nursing, and Kyle Trainor of the College of Arts & Sciences—to film their experiences as they went through Commencement Day, May 18. We present highlights from their videos.
Some 3,000 degree recipients assembled on the field of Alumni Stadium for Boston College’s 133rd Commencement. “You have made Boston College better, stronger, more alive,” President William P. Leahy, SJ, told them. Filmmaker Ken Burns, recipient of an honorary doctorate in fine arts, delivered the Commencement address, advising students, “History, I have learned over 30 years of practice, is the greatest teacher there is.” The University also awarded honorary degrees to Margot C. Connell, board chair of the Connell Limited Partnership; Joseph E. Corcoran ’59, a pioneer in the development of mixed-income housing; Daniel J. Harrington, SJ, eminent scholar of the Bible; Carolyn A. Lynch, a founder of the Lynch Foundation and the Urban Catholic Teachers Corps; and Benaree Pratt Wiley, president and CEO (emeritus) of The Partnership, Inc., and a University Trustee Associate. The full onstage proceedings, including Burns’s address, are available online at the Commencement Day website.
Summary of degrees:
- College of Arts & Sciences 1,364 undergraduate, 136 advanced
- Carroll School of Management 454 undergraduate, 203 advanced
- Lynch School of Education 182 undergraduate, 239 advanced
- Connell School of Nursing 70 undergraduate, 83 advanced
- Woods College of Advancing Studies 42 undergraduate, 16 advanced
- School of Social Work 181 advanced
- School of Theology and Ministry 57 advanced
The Law School Commencement took place May 22, with Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke delivering the address. Some 252 graduates received their JD degree, 12 received the LLM.
