UMass Dartmouth commencement speakers announced

Mar 20, 2019

UMass Dartmouth’s Class of 2019 will be sent off by a Supreme Judicial Court Justice, congressman, and two CEOs as part of the 119th Commencement ceremonies on May 10 and 13.

Two undergraduate ceremonies on May 10 will be held at the main campus at Cressy Field, while the School of Law and graduate ceremonies will be held on May 13.

On May 10, Ellen Zane will speak at the first undergraduate ceremony for the College of Nursing, Charlton College of Business, and the College of Visual & Performing Arts at 10:30 a.m.

Zane is the CEO Emeritus of Tufts Medical Center. She was the first woman to run  the hospital in its 222-year history. She also holds faculty appointments at Tufts University School of Medicine.

Supreme Judicial Court Justice Elspeth Cypher will speak at the School of Law ceremony, scheduled for 10 a.m. on May 13 in the main auditorium.

The South Coast native was appointed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court by Governor Charlie Baker on March 31, 2017. She was an adjunct professor at the School of Law for years, participated in numerous educational programs for judges and lawyers, and was named Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's Lawyer of the Year in 2000.

Travis McCready will speak at the graduate student ceremony, which will be held on Cressy Field, beginning at 2 p.m. He is the President and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center.

Judge Cypher and Ellen Zane will receive honorary degrees; Congressman Keating and Travis McCready will be honored with the Chancellor’s Medal.

“UMass Dartmouth is proud to honor these four exemplars of leadership and service,” Chancellor Robert E. Johnson said. “By applying their intellect, skills, and energy to their professional pursuits, each has dedicated their life to strengthening the fabric of our society.”

Information about student speakers for each ceremony will be released soon.