Lindholm, Pieciak, Schaffer are among speakers; Coffin to receive honorary degree May 18 & 19, 2024. Above VTSU Randolph Center Campus.
Vermont Business Magazine For the first time, students will cross the stage to receive a diploma inscribed with Vermont State University. This first class of grads includes students who initially began studies at then-named Castleton University, Northern Vermont University and Vermont Technical College. Commencement will occur on the Castleton and Johnson campuses on May 18 and at the Lyndon and Randolph campuses on May 19. Williston campus students will graduate in Randolph.
“The energy and excitement among students around the future of VTSU is incredibly inspiring,” said David Bergh, interim president of VTSU. “The uptick in the number of applications we have received from students who will be the first to do all their undergraduate years at VTSU is another great indicator that students respect the unified system and what it can now offer.”
The University has engaged speakers for each of the commencement ceremonies:
- Vermont State Castleton graduates will hear from Stefanie Schaffer, a Vermont local who graduated from Castleton University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion and Magna Cum Laude Honors. Since graduation, she has gone on to pursue work as a disability advocate, author of a best-selling memoir, and public speaker.
- Vermont State Johnson’s commencement will host Vermont Public’s Jane Lindholm, the host, executive producer and creator of the international kids show, But Why: A Podcast For Curious Kids. She previously hosted and edited the award-winning Vermont Public program Vermont Edition. Jane’s photojournalism appeared on the BBC World Service; her reporting aired on NPR, APM and the CBC.
- Vermont State Lyndon grads will welcome Mike Pieciak, Vermont State Treasurer. In that role, Mike has focused on economic and financial equity priorities, launching the “Vermont Saves” publicly administered retirement program and expanding “10% in Vermont” and other housing initiatives. He previously served as a trustee for the Vermont State College System.
Staff at the Vermont State Randolph and Williston campuses selected speakers from among their own ranks, continuing a tradition of choosing student speakers, rather than guests. One speaker from the Randolph campus, one from the Williston campus and one nursing/ allied Health student will all give addresses at the gathering. They include:
- Zadoc Yaovi Akovi Aklama, born in Togo, a small country in west Africa. He graduated cum laude with an Associate degree in construction management from Vermont Technical College in 2022 and is currently working to finish his Bachelor’s degree while working as a project engineer for ReArch Company.
- Falit Sehgal, from Parsippany, New Jersey, who is graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in computer software engineering, and has served as student council vice president, as well as holding leadership roles in the robotics, astronomy and anime clubs.
- Racquel Miller, a dedicated healthcare professional known for her academic excellence and commitment to lifelong learning. Originally from Jamaica, she concluded her studies here, graduating magna cum laude with an associate degree in nursing from Vermont Technical College in 2021 and summa cum laude with her Bachelor of Science in 2023. Miller aspires to be a nurse practitioner.
“Using three student speakers covers the wide three-campus physical area that our students come from and especially allows for our nurses from all over the state to be offered this opportunity,” said Cara Hill, assistant to the dean of students at the Randolph campus. “We have diesel technicians alongside veterinarians and engineers next to nurses. Service work is near and dear to our students. Their hearts are with each other, and their connections are deep. They value hearing from each other, and we are proud to carry on this tradition,” she added.
Another commencement tradition calls for conferring honorary degrees on people for their work outside VTSU. This year, the University will give an honorary degree to historian Howard Coffin.
Coffin, born and raised in Woodstock, attended Lyndon State College from 1960 to 1962 before leaving for Vietnam as part of the United States Army. He returned to Vermont where he worked as a reporter for the Rutland Herald, public information staff member at Dartmouth College, news director at the University of Vermont and press secretary to Senator James Jeffords. He has also written many books, served on boards, lectured and led bus tours to Civil War battlefields and sites. In 2004 the Vermont Legislature honored Coffin with a resolution in honor of his “literary and advocacy efforts to record and preserve Vermont’s Civil War history.”
For more information about the 2024 VTSU commencement, please visit the University’s website.
About Vermont State University
Vermont State University combines the best of Castleton University, Northern Vermont University, and Vermont Technical College and serves students on five campuses and multiple learning sites across the Green Mountains and beyond, as well as online. Vermont State provides a high-quality, flexible, and affordable education for students seeking associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees, certificates, and in-demand professional credentials. The university builds upon a history of public higher education in Vermont dating back to 1787. Learn more at VermontState.edu
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