Champlain College will confer honorary degrees during this year's 133nd Commencement on Saturday, May 7 to former Vermont Governor Jim Douglas of Middlebury and Premier of Quebec Jean Charest.
Jean Charest and Jim Douglas last year in Quebec, where Douglas received the prestigious National Order of Québec.
Premier Charest will deliver the commencement speech to the graduating class of 2011, while former Gov. Douglas will speak on behalf of the honorary degree recipients during the ceremony at Memorial Auditorium. Both will receive Doctor of Public Service honorary degrees. An estimated 425 seniors are expected to receive their bachelor and associate degree diplomas during the Saturday morning graduation.
"Our honored guests have played major leadership roles and both have exhibited a life-long commitment to public service. They have worked together as leaders and friends to bring trade, environmental, energy and cultural exchanges to the benefit of both Quebec and Vermont," said Champlain College President David F. Finney.
"They are role models, international leaders and mentors to us all in fostering the spirit of higher education, community and public service. The honorary degree to Premier Charest also acknowledges the strong ties between Champlain College and Montreal, where one of our two study abroad campus is located,’ Finney added.
Premier Jean Charest
Jean Charest, 52, has served as Premier of Quebec since 2003. His entry into the Sherbrooke political arena began after earning his law degree when he was elected to the House of Commons, where at age 28 he was made Minister of State for Youth, the youngest Cabinet member in the history of Canada. At the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, in his capacity as federal Environment Minister, Charest headed the Canadian delegation that signed the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. With the general elections of 1998, he won the Sherbrooke seat and made his National Assembly debut as Leader of the Official Opposition.
As soon as he came to power in 2003, the Premier made health a priority, focusing on families, insurance and the parental leave system. His government’s emphasis on the environment has led to, among other things, ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets, petroleum royalties, and the Sustainable Development Act, which adds to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms the right for every person to live in a healthful environment in which biodiversity is preserved. Charest has made Québec a leader in the field of the environment and sustainable development in North America and globally.
The action of Jean Charest's government is geared towards economic development and the creation of wealth, with a view to Québec's international reach and the continuance of Québec's social programs. The Premier has said he wants to empower Quebecers to be more prosperous, notably by developing and enhancing Québec's energy resources and by establishing new economic space to improve Québec's position on the world scene.
Governor James Douglas
James Douglas, 59, ended his fourth term as Vermont’s governor in January after 35 years in politics. He was first elected to the Vermont House of Representatives after graduating from Middlebury College in 1972. He quickly moved up the leadership ranks and after his third term, left in 1979 to become a top aide to then Gov. Richard Snelling.
Douglas was elected Secretary of State in 1980, a post he held for 12 years. He was then elected state treasurer in 1994. During that time, Vermont’s bond rating became the best in New England and one of the best in the nation. Douglas served as governor for four terms beginning in 2003 and ending in January 2011. While governor, Douglas served as president of the Council of State Governments and as past chairman of the National Governors Association. In February 2010, President Obama appointed him co-chair of the Council of Governors.
He is also the town moderator of Middlebury, a post he has held for more than 20 years, and beginning this January, Douglas is an Executive in Residence at Middlebury College where he taught a 24-student course in Vermont Politics.
The two leaders have also worked on creating a Vermont-Quebec Trade corridor accord to address transportation infrastructure, the environment, energy and traffic flow at their shared international border. Together, Douglas and Charest forged a strong economic, cultural and tourism partnership highlighted most recently by the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Samuel de Champlain to their regions and Lake Champlain.
Admission to the May 7 commencement is by ticket only. Overflow seating will be available in the Argosy Gym in the IDX Student Center on campus and college officials expect to broadcast the event live on local cable access TV and online at www.champlain.edu. A commencement and hooding ceremony for Master degree candidates will be held Friday, May 6.
Champlain College
Since 1878, Champlain College has provided career-focused education to students from its hilltop campus in Burlington, Vt. Champlain's distinctive educational approach embodies the notion that true learning only occurs when information and experience come together to create knowledge. Champlain offers traditional undergraduate and online undergraduate courses, along with eight master’s degree programs. Champlain offers study abroad programs in Montreal, Quebec and Dublin, Ireland. Champlain was named a "Top-Up-and-Coming School" by U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges and was ranked in the top tier of 2011 Regional Colleges in the North. To learn more about Champlain College, visit www.champlain.edu.
Source: Champlain College. 2.28.2011