**Press release courtesy of Tom Horgan, Senior Advisor to the President**
Presidential candidate and U.S. Senator to address New England College 72nd Commencement Graduates
Henniker – New England College President Michele D. Perkins announced today that United
States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will serve as New England College’s commencement speaker on May 11, 2019. Gillibrand has served in the Senate since 2009, and represented New York’s 20th Congressional District from 2007 to 2009. Senator Gillibrand recently announced her official campaign for president with a kickoff speech in New York City.
“I am delighted that Senator Gillibrand has agreed to serve as New England College’s featured commencement speaker this year,” said Perkins. “Throughout her time in the Senate, Senator Gillibrand has been a leader in some of the toughest fights in Washington. She led the effort to repeal the ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ policy in the military; she wrote the STOCK Act, which made it illegal for members of Congress to financially benefit from inside information; and she won the long fight to provide permanent health care and compensation to the 9/11 first responders and community survivors. Senator Gillibrand is recognized for bringing Democrats and Republicans together to solve important national problems,” Perkins added.
“I am deeply honored and humbled by the opportunity to address New England College’s 2019 graduates,” said Senator Gillibrand. “As these students leave college, it’s important they understand that although life presents us with many hardships, their education has instilled them with the courage and determination to overcome any obstacle and meet any challenge. These students are the leaders of tomorrow, and I’m excited to be with them as they take the first step on their journey.”
Senator Gillibrand is leading the fight to reform the justice system for sexual assault survivors in the military and on college campuses. In 2013, as chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, she held the first Senate hearing on the issue of sexual assault in the military in almost a decade, and has built a bipartisan coalition of Senators in support of her legislation. She has also built bipartisan support for the Campus Accountability and Safety Act, which would hold colleges accountable for sexual assault on their campuses.
After attending Albany’s Academy of Holy Names, Senator Gillibrand graduated in 1984 from the Emma Willard School in Troy, New York – the first all-women’s high school in the United States. A magna cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College in 1988, Gillibrand went on to receive her law degree from the UCLA School of Law in 1991 and served as a law clerk on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. During the New England College Commencement Ceremony Senator Gillibrand will receive an honorary degree, Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, from the Board of Trustees in recognition of her career achievements and professional success.
The ceremony will be held on the New England College Simon Green beginning at 11:00 AM. About New England College New England College has been helping students achieve their full potential for more than 70 years. We emphasize experiential learning as an essential component in the development of an enduring academic community. Building upon a strong liberal arts foundation, we challenge students through informed discourse and the pursuit of excellence in a framework of academic freedom.
