New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu will be delivering the New England College commencement speech for the 2022 graduating class, on May 14 at 10 a.m. on the Simon Lawn. This will be the first in person commencement since 2019 after a two year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are honored to have such a distinguished leader as our 2022 commencement speaker,” said NEC President Michele Perkins. “As our 2022 graduates prepare for the next phase of their lives, I’m certain Governor Sununu’s message will serve as a great inspiration.”
Gov. Sununu is in his third term as New Hampshire Governor and began serving in 2017.
“This graduating class deserves to be celebrated and it’s an honor to have the sitting Governor,” said Josh McElveen, a spokesman for New England College. “He has the ability to deliver a message of working hard for what you want.”
“That certainly was not the prime motivation,” said McElveen when asked if NEC wanted a big name for the first in person commencement in two years, “this certainly is not political.”
NEC is graduating an expected 500 students from the Henniker and Manchester campuses. This will be the first time since the two schools merged that all students will be graduating in the same ceremony. These students include face-to-face, online, and hybrid forms of schooling.
“I think post-COVID anything that feels getting back to normal feels good,” said McElveen.
The NewEnglander will provide more details as information comes in.
