Lasell College Graduates Largest Class in School History; Barney Frank Offers Commencement Remarks

The following is a press release issued by Lasell College:

held its 158th commencement exercises Sunday, May 13, granting 354 baccalaureate degrees and 78 master’s degrees, before an audience packed with family, friends, and members of the Lasell community. The Class of 2012 marked the largest group of graduates in Lasell College history 

Commencement speaker U.S. Representative for Massachusetts’ Fourth Congressional District Barney Frank, delivered a speech that asked graduates to consider the benefits of reducing the role of the U.S. military abroad.

Frank spoke of what he hopes will be an end of an era of military support by the U.S of other countries around the world to defend democracy.

“Today that role isn’t necessary or affordable,” Frank said. “Your generation has to [support] a scale back of military commitments.”

Frank encouraged graduates to consider how federal dollars might be spent otherwise, including maintaining a reduced interest rate on student loans and continuing to fund Medicare and Medicaid.

“We need to be able to protect others, but we haven’t sufficiently scaled back,” he said.

The audience also heard messages from Lasell College President Michael B. Alexander, who asked the graduates to focus on being “good people” and to maintain their friendships nurtured during college. Recalling his own friendships from college, he said that those relationships and memories can help sustain you in difficult times.

Class of 2012 undergraduate student speaker Kasey Looney and graduate student speaker Helene Alland also addressed the graduating class reminding students to savor the memories they have of Lasell.

The commencement exercises also honored one faculty and one staff member with for excellence in educational leadership. Humanities Professor Mimi Reddicliffe and Student Affairs Director Jennifer Granger were honored.