Gordon College Celebrated its 123rd Commencement and the Largest Graduating Class in its 125-Year History

As the 125^th anniversary year at Gordon College wraps its final months, most will agree it’s been a remarkable year. From the fall’s first ring of the Clarendon Bell—authentically restored and dedicated for this anniversary year—to today’s final ring to signal the procession, the year has been full of #GordonMoments. But none hold a candle to the amount of celebrating the campus enjoyed today. Four hundred and three undergraduates and 129 graduate students received degrees Saturday morning, May 16, at the 123rd Commencement ceremony at Gordon College. According to the Office of the Registrar, both the undergraduate class of 2015 and the graduate school class of 2015 are the largest in the school’s 125-year-history since its founding in Boston in 1889. The 403 undergraduate students received bachelor's degrees in the liberal arts, and graduate students received master's degrees in education and in music education from Gordon. The Commencement ceremony was on the campus quad, where D. Michael Lindsay, the eighth president of Gordon College, gave his annual Commencement address. Titled “Boldly in Faith,” it served as a prayer “that God will seal and confirm that the time you have spent at Gordon has been a season of strengthening your inner being, of filling you with the fullness of God, and of preparing you for immeasurably more.” Three honorary degrees were conferred during the ceremony—Jan Carlberg, Doctor of Humane Letters; George Richardson, Doctor of Divinity; and Frederick Nelson (“Ted”) Blount, Doctor of Public Service. Distinguished faculty awards were given to Ruth Melkonian-Hoover, associate professor political science and recipient of the 2015 Junior Distinguished Faculty Award, and Steven Hunt, professor of New Testament and recipient of the 2015 Senior Distinguished Faculty Award. Gordon College grants three categories of bachelor degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Music. In the graduate division, Gordon College presented three degrees: Master of Education, Education Specialist, and Master of Music Education. For information, press-ready imagery of the ceremony, or to schedule interviews with this year's recipients of the distinguished faculty awards , contact the Office of College Relations at 978.867.4235 or email [email protected]. The Gordon College website will host a selection of imagery of the ceremony early next week (as it becomes available) from the event photography staff. MEDIA CONTACT: Cyndi McMahon, Office of College Communications 978.867.4236 | [email protected] | @Gordon_CMcMahon