Dr. Margee M. Ensign, president of Dickinson College, and a member of New College’s 1973 cohort, will be the keynote speaker at New College of Florida’s 2018 Commencement.
New College President Don O’Shea announced the selection in a letter to the campus community this morning:
“Ensign was appointed president of Dickinson in July 2017, after seven years as president of the American University of Nigeria. Her successes at AUN were tremendous: Overseeing the development of a sustainable campus and the continent’s leading digital library, establishing a graduate school and a law school, and bringing international leaders to AUN’s board.
“Just as significant were her achievements in the community. In response to the Boko Haram insurgency crisis, she co-founded the Adamawa Peace Initiative in 2010. The coalition maintained peace through education, empowerment and community development, and fed more than 270,000 refugees who had fled the fighting.”
“In 2015, the Women of Jama’atu Nasril Islam in Nigeria recognized Ensign for her contributions to leadership, philanthropy and education of women and girls in northeast Nigeria. She has received many other awards for her leadership in education in Africa.
“Ensign received both her master’s degree in political science and her Ph.D. in international politics and economics from the University of Maryland. She graduated from New College in 1976.
“In an interview last year, she attributed her perspectives to ‘the influence of New College, which is so profound in my life.’ We are thrilled to welcome her back to campus.”
Ensign is also scheduled to receive an honorary degree at Commencement, which will be on the College’s historic Bayfront at sunset on Friday, May 18.