Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
WATERVILLE — As it celebrates the Class of 2017 for successful completion of Colby’s rigorous course of study, the college will honor distinguished leaders at its 196th Commencement ceremonies Sunday, May 21. The 47th Vice President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden Jr., will deliver the commencement address, and political analyst Amy Walter, a 1991 graduate of Colby and national editor of the Cook Political Report, will deliver the baccalaureate address Saturday, May 20.
Graduation ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m. on the lawn of Miller Library, weather permitting.
The college will also honor Warren Washington, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, with a doctor of science degree and Yoshihiro Takishita, founding president of the Association for the Preservation of Traditional Japanese Farmhouses, with a doctor of fine arts degree. Walter will receive a doctor of letters degree, and Biden will receive a doctor of laws degree.
Biden served eight years as vice president following 36 years as a U.S. senator from Delaware. He served on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As Vice President, Biden visited more than 50 countries and worked on important issues, including middle-class living standards, gun violence, violence against women, and the battle against cancer. Since leaving office, Biden, along with his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, has turned his focus to the Biden Foundation, which aims to advance much of his previous work. He will also lead the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement at the University of Pennsylvania and the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware.
The commencement ceremony is open to the public, and attendees who are not family members of graduates are asked to bring their own chairs. In the case of rain, tickets will be required for admission to the gymnasium in the Harold Alfond Athletic Center, and there will be an overflow simulcast available in the field house. Any notice of location change will be posted at colby.edu, as will the link to a live webcast for those unable to attend.
