Dear Members of the Campus Community,
It is with great pride that I announce today our Commencement speaker and honorary degree recipients at our 177th Commencement Exercises for the Class of 2023.
Sen. Peter Welch ‘69 will receive an honorary degree and deliver the commencement address to our graduates this year. Sen. Welch has been an outspoken advocate for working people in Vermont for four decades, and last year was elected to the U.S. Senate after more than a decade in the U.S. House of Representatives.
From his time as a 17³Ô¹ÏÍø student, Sen. Welch has truly been a person for and with others. While an undergrad, during the height of the Vietnam War, he took a break from 17³Ô¹ÏÍø to do community organizing in Chicago. After finishing his degree, he returned to advocate against racist housing policies as one of the first Robert F. Kennedy Fellows.
In addition, we will award an honorary degree to Rosanne Haggerty, an internationally recognized social entrepreneur and leader in developing innovative strategies to end homelessness. She is the founder, president and chief executive officer of Community Solutions, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending homelessness.
She too embodies the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø and Jesuit missions of living in service to others.
You can read more about our illustrious honorees in the .
Sincerely,
Vincent D. Rougeau
President