Colleagues; 

Once again, the Core Commencement Committee extends our sincere appreciation for your help with an important milestone in the lives of our students (and their families). Because of the pandemic, this class of undergrads missed signature high school events such as athletic competitions, senior proms and their graduation ceremonies, which made our commencement celebrations that much more meaningful. 

YOU, our faculty and staff, through your presence and enthusiasm, created a welcoming and celebratory environment for the approximately 10,000 family and friends who joined us at the DCU Center. Please allow us to reference a few key community members who were essential to our campus celebrations.

•  Bill Battelle and the Events Team arranged to have diplomas, a 3D-printed Goat Statue, a rug with a replica seal, etc. at the DCU Center, while our Facilities Team had the campus beautifully manicured for our visitors. 
• Lori Kendall-Taylor, Aprile Mero, and Stacey Burton led the Graduate and Undergraduate Student Speaker selection process, and Sira Frongillo worked closely with our student speakers to polish their Convocation and Commencement presentations. 
• Jen Cluett, Kate Beverage, and Eliza Laurent led the student line-up efforts, coordinating approximately 1,700 candidates in correct order, adjusting regalia, and replacing lost tassels. 
• Kim Wykes led and supported the newly envisioned Convocation Program. 
• Amy L’Heureux and Kim Adams provided leadership and direction for the Air Force and Army ROTC Commissioning Program. 
• Our new venue brought different AV challenges, yet Dave Taranto, Alex DeMello, Isaac Bates and Nick Hart of the ATC Team coordinated the wonderful sound and visual effects in the Arena. 
• Christine Ziev, with the innovative assistance of Justin Amevor and Jordyn McKeen, managed the electronic ticketing process. 
• Jen Irving and Christine Sharry recruited and managed our employee staff at Commencement. 
• Sarah Miles and the Registrar’s Office team worked the entire previous weekend to make sure our graduates were cleared and received their diplomas. 
• Every year, we pride ourselves on pronouncing student names correctly. Our name readers, Colleen Callahan-Panday, Kalvin Cummings, Stephanie Pasha, Charlie Morse, Julie Loveless, and Riky Hanlan pronounced over 1,700 names with well-practiced perfection. 
• Jennifer Parissi-Forti brought new insight and ideas from the President’s Office to our programs. 
• Adam Epstein was the keeper of our commencement scripts, editing and polishing up to the last minute before the ceremonies. • Jordan Monts, Emma Nelson, Mitchell Dumke, and Catherine Flayhan served as our on-call van drivers when unexpected needs arose. 
• And lastly, Stacey Happy and our Marketing Communications Team managed and updated our Commencement webpage, showcased our students and faculty achievements in pre-ceremony videos, and brought celebratory tears with Bella’s graduation and retirement to the arena. 

Quite simply, it is our honor to work with a campus community that cares deeply about our students. Our community came together to celebrate our students’ achievements, and for this, we thank you. 

The Core Commencement Team 

Stacey Burton 

Jennifer Parissi-Forti 

Bill Battelle 

Christine Sharry 

Greg Snoddy 

Stacey Happy 

Christine Ziev 

David Taranto