LSC Announces Commencement Plans for May 17

Presidential Medals and Honorary Degree To Be Awarded

April 30, 2015

Robert Shetterly will deliver the address at Lyndon State College’s 103rd commencement ceremonies Sunday, May 17, 2015. More than 285 graduates and their families are expected to fill the tent on the LSC soccer field for the 11 a.m. ceremony.

Robert Shetterly has an English Literature degree from Harvard College. The drawing courses he took while at Harvard changed his creative focus from the written word to images. Shetterly is widely known for his series of 70 painted etchings based on William Blake’s “Proverbs of Hell,” and for another series of 50 painted etchings reflecting on the metaphor of the Annunciation. His paintings and prints are in collections all over the U.S. and Europe. A collection of his drawings and etchings, “Speaking Fire at Stones,” was published in 1993. Although his painting has tended toward the narrative and the surreal, for more than ten years Shetterly has been painting a portrait series called “Americans Who Tell the Truth.” The exhibit has been traveling around the country since 2003. Much of Shetterly’s current work focuses on honoring social activists.

He will be joined on the dais by student speaker Mason Brewer ’15. Red Tin Box will sing the Class Song; the band members are Andrew Fahle ’15, Michael Mahn ’15, Garrett LaBarge ’16, and Thomas Shahan ’16. Jacqueline Laviolette ’15 will sing the national anthem. The Catamount Pipe Band will play both processional and recessional; Ian MacDonald ’14 is the pipe major.

LSC President Joe Bertolino will present Micheline Auger with an honorary Bachelor of Humane Letters degree for her services and contribution to the Newport community. Auger was a student at Lyndon in the 1960’s. In the summer before her junior year, she was injured in a motorcycle accident that left her in a coma with multiple broken bones and brain damage; she was never able to return to Lyndon to finish her teaching degree. She recovered her mobility with her father’s extensive help and now she volunteers every day to help beautify Newport. Her service has been recognized by the Newport Police Department, the Newport Rotary Club, Newport’s City Council, and WCAX.

This is the third honorary degree awarded by LSC since poet Galway Kinnell was recognized in 2002; in 2013, Dr. Ray Griffin of Barton, Vermont, was made an honorary member of the Class of 1942. Last year Joseph D’Aleo received an honorary doctoral degree for his accomplishments as an educator and as a pioneer in the field of broadcast meteorology.

Bertolino will also present two 2015 LSC Presidential Medals of Distinction. The award, created in 2013, honors an individual or organization who has contributed significantly to both Lyndon State College and the NEK community. The individual honoree is Sha’an Mouliert, a community organizer, educator, and artist. She co-founded the African American Alliance of the Northeast Kingdom, a grassroots organization committed to racial justice. Mouliert facilitates Theater of the Oppressed trainings; she has led conflict resolution, human potential, creative expression, racial justice, and community organizing workshops nationally and internationally. The service organization Umbrella is also an honoree. The organization offers safety, support, and self-determination options for women and families and “exemplifies social justice.” Renee (Kelly) Swain ’09 is executive director for Umbrella and will be accepting on behalf of the organization. Previous Medal winners include Gary W. Moore, Jan Eastman, and Bill Stenger.

There will be reserved spaces for wheelchairs under the tent. The event will also be broadcast live in the climate-controlled Alexander Twilight Theatre and on the College’s website at LyndonState.edu. A pre-ceremony breakfast social in the Theatre lobby is planned. The post-ceremony reception in the Stannard Gym will give students “photo ops” with faculty, family, and friends. Both receptions are open to all.

Public Safety officials will be on campus all day to direct guests to available parking areas. Shuttle service and/or accommodations will be available for those unable to walk distances.

For further details, visit our May Commencement page, or contact Tracy Sherbrook at tracy.sherbrook@LyndonState.edu, or 802 626-6406.