Commencement | May 18, 2024

77th Commencement Schedule of Events

Graduate Celebration and BFA Exhibition

Friday, May 17 • 5:00 p.m. • Art Village (39 Main Street in Henniker)
All graduates and guests welcome. Online reservations required.

Breakfast Buffet

Saturday, May 18 • 7:30–9:30 a.m. • Gilmore Dining Hall
Online reservations required. Pay at the door.

Commencement

Saturday, May 18 • 10:00 a.m. • The Simon Green
Rain Location: Lee Clement Ice Arena. Limited seating, tickets required.

Commencement Reception

Directly following Commencement • Simon Center Great Room

Event Registration

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Doonesbury Cartoonist to Deliver Commencement Address to New England College 2024 Graduating Class

Garry Trudeau, the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist who created the Doonesbury comic strip, will receive an honorary doctorate degree from the College.

Famed cartoonist Garry Trudeau, creator of the Doonesbury comic strip, has been named the Commencement speaker for New England College’s 2024 graduation ceremony on May 18. In addition, the New England College Board of Trustees has authorized the awarding of the Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa to Trudeau in recognition of his achievements.

Trudeau’s accomplishments include winning the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, making him the first, and only one of two, comic strip artists to win the award. He then received the National Cartoonist Society’s Newspaper Comic Strip Award in 1994 and Reuben Award in 1995. Trudeau’s work has appeared in Harper’s, Rolling Stone, The New Republic, The New Yorker, New York and The Washington Post.

“Comic strips, and through them their creators, have long served as a mirror reflecting society and popular culture,” stated Dr. Wayne F. Lesperance Jr., President of New England College. “I have no doubt that the class of 2024 will enjoy hearing Mr. Trudeau’s perspective as they begin the next chapter of life.”

New England College will celebrate its 77th graduating class on Saturday, May 18, at 10:00 a.m. on the Simon Lawn in Henniker, New Hampshire.

Frequently Asked Questions

To make Commencement a successful celebration, this document answers questions for graduates and guests alike.

Accommodations Near NEC

View a list of accommodations near New England College on our Visit page.

Important Information from the Registrar’s Office

Intent to Graduate Form

Students will register to attend this year’s Commencement ceremony when they file their Intent to Graduate Form with the Registrar’s Office. The Intent to Graduate Form should be submitted no later than one term prior to Commencement.

Intent to Graduate Form—Undergraduate Residential
Intent to Graduate Form—Graduate and Online Undergraduate

Eligibility to Attend Commencement

Students may participate in the commencement ceremony on May 18, 2024, if they

• Have/will have graduated in the past academic year (July 2023 through May 2024)

OR

• Are within 12 credits of completing their degree program at the time of the Commencement ceremony.

Please note that students may only attend one ceremony. If your anticipated graduation date changes, please contact the Registrar’s Office at registrarsoffice@nec.edu.

Program Book

Students who wish to have their name printed in the Commencement program book must submit their Intent to Graduate Form by April 1, 2024.