Vermont Business Magazine Saint Michael’s College will hold its 118th Commencement ceremony on May 11, 2025, to celebrate graduates in the Class of 2025.
The graduates, faculty, and administration will process through campus about 10 to 15 minutes before the start of the ceremony, led by bagpipers from Matthew Brouard Music. The ceremony will then begin promptly at 10 a.m. in the Ross Sports Center.
Approximately 370 students will obtain bachelor's and master's degrees during the ceremony. The Class of 2025 graduates receiving bachelor's degrees represent 24 U.S states territories and 11 countries, while those receiving master's degrees represent 12 states and five countries. Sixteen students will also be recognized for completing graduate certificate programs.
Fr. Gregory Boyle, S.J., the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, California, will deliver the Commencement address to the Class of 2025 after receiving an honorary degree. Homeboy Industries is the largest gang intervention, rehab and re-entry program in the world – a global model for restorative justice. With a ministry rooted in radical kinship, Boyle has worked tirelessly to dismantle cycles of violence and incarceration by fostering community, education, and economic opportunity.
One other person and a group will be recognized with honorary degrees during the ceremony as well. They are:
- Phish, the Vermont-born musical group, whose members – Trey Anastasio (guitar, vocals), Jon Fishman (drums, vocals), Mike Gordon (bass, vocals), and Page McConnell (keyboards, vocals) – have become well-known not just for their sound and performance style, but also for their philanthropy. (Please note, the members of Phish are being recognized for their artistic and philanthropic contributions with an honorary degree and will not be performing during the Commencement ceremony.)
- Rita Whalen McCaffrey, the founder of Dismas of Vermont, Inc., which provides transitional housing and community support to the formerly incarcerated. Under her vision and care, what began as one home grew into a network of five Dismas Houses across Vermont – in Burlington, Winooski, Rutland and Hartford.
Several graduates in the Class of 2025 will also provide remarks during the Commencement ceremony. They are:
- Margrethe Frøland of Rælingen, Norway, who will deliver the undergraduate Senior Address.
- Carol Anne Goodrich of Georgia, Vermont, who will deliver the Graduate Address.
People who want to watch the ceremony on campus but do not have a ticket can watch the event via livestream in the overflow space in the McCarthy Arts Center. Those who cannot attend Commencement in person can watch the ceremony via livestream at smcvt.edu/outcomes/commencement. Viewers can also find a full program at that same page on Commencement Day.
If you go:
- What: Saint Michael’s College’s 118th Commencement
- Where: Ross Sports Center, Saint Michael’s College and via livestream
- When: Sunday, May 11, 2025, at 10 a.m.
- More information: smcvt.edu/outcomes/commencement
About Saint Michael’s College
Saint Michael's College, founded on principles of social justice and leading lives of purpose and consequence, is a selective, Catholic college just outside Burlington, Vermont, one of the country's best college towns. Located between the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain, our closely connected community guarantees housing all four years and delivers internationally respected liberal arts together with an innovative Purposeful Learning Program, preparing students for fulfilling careers and meaningful lives. Young adults here grow intellectually, socially, and morally, learning to be responsible for themselves, each other, and their world.
COLCHESTER, VT – Saint Michael’s College
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