Thomas College to Celebrate Commencement on May 12


Ceremony begins at 1 p.m. in Harold Alfond Athletic Center

WATERVILLE, May 4—Thomas College’s 113th commencement will be held on Saturday, May 12 beginning at 1 p.m.

A total of 148 students will be marching during the graduation ceremony and will include 118 undergraduates and 30 graduate-degree candidates. The ceremony will be held in the Harold Alfond Athletic Center on Thomas College’s West River Road campus.

John Rowe is Thomas’ 2007 commencement speaker. He will also receive an honorary Doctor of Science in Business Administration degree during the ceremony. Rowe is the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Exelon Corporation—one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, with $15 billion in revenues. Forbes Magazine ranked Exelon as the number-one utility company in the United States for the second straight year in its 2005 list of “The World’s 2000 Leading Companies.” Mr. Rowe has led electric utilities since 1984, consecutively serving as CEO of Central Maine Power Company, the New England Electric System, and Unicom Corporation. He is also a lawyer and was general counsel of the Consolidated Rail Corporation and a partner in the firm of Isham, Lincoln and Beale.

Henry Schmelzer, president and chief executive officer of the Maine Community Foundation, and the 2007 Mainebiz Business Leader of the Year, will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during the Thomas College ceremony. The Maine Community Foundation is a statewide foundation with assets of more than $200 million. Prior to entering the field of philanthropy, Schmelzer spent more than 20 years in law and in the financial services industry in Boston. He practiced corporate and securities law, becoming vice president and counsel for the New England Mutual Life Insurance Company. Schmelzer moved from a career in the law to business management in the late 1980s and became president and CEO of New England Securities, a nationwide financial services firm. He completed his financial services career in 1998 as president, CEO and trustee of New England Funds, an $8-billion mutual-fund group.

Thomas College’s Christopher Simpson, of Farmington, will speak at commencement on behalf of the undergraduate day-division students. Simpson will be graduating cum laude with a bachelor’s in management and a Master of Business Administration degree. Speaking on behalf of the continuing education division will be Stephen Mattice. Mattice, of Winthrop, will receive his bachelor’s in business administration. Representing the graduate division will be Elizabeth Barron. Barron, of Waterville, will receive a Master of Business Administration degree.

Class marshals for the 2007 commencement ceremony will be Ashley Berube, of Waterville, who will graduate with a bachelor’s in management, and Nicole Irish, of Peru, will graduate summa cum laude with a bachelor’s in accounting and a Master of Business Administration degree.

Tickets are not required for the commencement ceremony. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. For those needing special accommodations, please contact Thomas’ registrar’s office at registrar@thomas.edu or 207-859-1405.

Founded in 1894, Thomas College is a private college that offers baccalaureate and master’s degrees, and provides higher education to many who might not otherwise attend college. The College prepares undergraduate and graduate students for careers in business, technology and education. Thomas is the only college in the nation that guarantees its graduates employment within six months of graduation. For more information about Thomas College, visit www.thomas.edu.

###