(May 18, 2010) More than 150 future doctors, lawyers, scientists, educators and entrepreneurs will walk across the stage this Friday evening, May 21, as New College of Florida, the state honors college for the arts and sciences, celebrates the College’s 44th Annual Commencement. New York Federal Reserve Bank President William Dudley (pictured), a 1974 graduate of New College with a concentration in economics, will deliver the keynote address. The ceremony begins at 7 p.m. on the bay front behind College Hall.
This year’s graduating class continues New College’s rich tradition of academic achievement and community service with six members of the class receiving Fulbright Scholarships for international study and English language teaching assistantships next year. New College’s Fulbright success continues to place the College among the nation’s top 10 undergraduate institutions in terms of per capita Fulbright production. In addition, this year’s class includes a French Ministry of Education and Culture Teaching Assistantship recipient, State Department Critical Language Scholar, National Institutes of Health summer internship recipient, NOAA Marine Fisheries Service summer internship recipient and many graduate school and fellowship winners.
Returning to New College to help this year’s graduates celebrate will be William Dudley, who succeeded Timothy Geithner as the president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank when Geithner became Secretary of the Treasury in January 2009. Dudley graduated from New College in 1974 and then went on to earn a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley. In addition to his role at the New York Fed, Dudley serves as the vice chairman and a permanent member of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the group responsible for formulating the nation’s monetary policy.
According to New College President Mike Michalson, Dudley’s appearance as the keynote speaker at commencement makes this year’s event even that much more special. “Needless to say, Bill has tremendous insight into our nation’s current economic woes, a topic I’d expect him to touch on in his Commencement remarks,” said Michalson, who will also deliver remarks during the graduation ceremony.
For more information on New College’s 44th Annual Commencement, contact the New College Office of Public Affairs at (941) 487-4153 or email [email protected].