State's private colleges set commencement dates, speakers

Bay State College
Sunday, May 22, at 11 a.m., Berklee Performance Center
Speaker: Scott Harshbarger, former Massachusetts Attorney General
Expected graduates: 190
Degrees conferred: Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science

Becker College
Saturday, May 14, at 4 p.m. at the Hanover Theatre in downtown Worcester
Speaker: Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick
Expected graduates: 325
Degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science

Bentley University
Saturday, May 21 at 10 a.m., south campus, Waltham
Speakers: Undergraduate: David Gergen, CNN senior political analyst and presidential adviser; Graduate: Christopher Lynch MBA '91, vice president and general manager of Vertica Systems
Expected Graduates: 960 undergraduate students, 305 graduate students, two doctoral students
Degrees: Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Business Administration, Master of Science, Doctor of Accountancy, Doctor of Business
Honorary Degrees: Gergen, Doctor of Laws; Lynch, Doctor of Commercial Science

Boston Baptist College
Wednesday, May 25, at 5 p.m., Faneuil Hall
Speaker: Rev. Keith Bassham, editor of the Baptist Bible Tribune
Expected graduates: 22
Degrees: Bachelor of Biblical Studies
Honorary degrees: None

Boston College
Monday, May 23, at 10 a.m., Alumni Stadium
Speaker: Ray LaHood, US secretary of transportation
Expected graduates: 2,466 undergraduate; 2,000 graduate.
Degrees conferred: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Certificate of Advanced Educational Specialization, Doctor of Education, Doctor of Law, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Sacred Theology, Licentiate in Sacred Theology, Master of Arts, Master of Business Administration, Master of Divinity, Master of Education, Master of Laws, Master of Science, Master of Science in Teaching, Master of Social Work, Master of Theological Studies and Master of Theology.
Honorary degrees: LaHood; New Balance Inc. chairman James S. Davis and vice chairman Anne M. Davis; BC senior vice president James P. McIntyre; and Sylvia Q. Simmons, retired president of American Student Assistance Corporation and a co-founder of the Higher Education Information Center.

Boston University
Sunday, May 22 at 1 p.m., Nickerson Field
Speaker: Katie Couric, anchor and managing editor of The CBS Evening News
Honorary degrees: Couric, Doctor of Humane Letters; activist Victoria Reggie Kennedy, Doctor of Laws; Jacques Pépin, TV chef, author, and BU lecturer, Doctor of Humane Letters; Frank Stella, painter, Doctor of Fine Arts; Nina Totenberg, radio and television journalist, Doctor of Humane Letters; and Ahmed Zewail, chemist and physicist, Doctor of Science.

Brandeis University
Sunday, May 22, at 10:30 a.m., Gosman Sports and Convocation Center
Speaker: David Brooks, op-ed columnist for The New York Times
Honorary degrees: Brooks; Thomas Buergenthal, international human rights expert; Nancy Gertner, federal judge; Yo-Yo Ma, classical cellist; Errol Morris, filmmaker; Jehuda Reinharz, president of Brandeis

Clark University
Sunday, May 22 at 1:30 p.m. at the Jefferson Academic Center Green
Speaker: Alan Khazei, founder and CEO of Be the Change Inc., and co-founder of City Year
Expected graduates: 528 undergraduates, 523 graduates
Degrees: Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Finance, Master of Arts in Liberal Arts, Master of Public Administration, Master of Science in Information Technology, Master of Science in Professional Communication, Master of Arts in Education, Master of Arts In Teaching, Bachelor of Arts, and Bachelor of Science
Honorary degrees: Khazei; John Bassett, president of Heritage University, and past Clark University president; Jack Dangermond, founding president of Environmental Systems Research Institute; Shirley Brice Heath, linguistic anthropologist and research professor at the Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University

College of the Holy Cross
Friday, May 27, at 10:30 a.m. at Fitton Field
Speaker: Marilynne Robinson, novelist and essayist
Expected graduates: 700
Degrees: Bachelor of Arts
Honorary degrees: Robinson; Rev. Francis X. Clooney, S.J., of Harvard Divinity School; Henry I. Smith ’58, professor of electrical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Curry College
Sunday, May 15, 10:00 a.m., D. Forbes Will Athletic Complex, Milton Campus
Speaker: Steven Grossman, treasurer, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Expected graduates: 874
Degrees conferred: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Arts in Criminal Justice, Master of Education, Master of Science in Nursing
Honorary degrees: Grossman, Doctor of Humanities; Ruth Ellen Fitch, President and Chief Executive Officer, the Dimock Center, Doctor of Humanities.

Emerson College
Monday, May 16, at 11 a.m. at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre
Speaker: Richard LaGravenese, Emerson alumnus and Academy Award nominee, who has written and directed several films including “Living Out Loud,” “Freedom Writers,” and “P.S. I Love You.”
Expected graduates: 1,000 undergraduates and 200 graduates

Emmanuel College
Saturday, May 14, at 11 a.m., Fenway campus
Speaker: James Roosevelt Jr., president and CEO of Tufts Health Plan
Expected graduates: 650
Degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science, Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Education in School Administration, Master of Science in Management, and Master of Science in Human Resource Management
Honorary degrees: Roosevelt; Angela Faletra Menino, first lady of the City of Boston; Malcolm Rogers, Ann and Graham Gund director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Endicott College
Saturday, May 21, at 10:30 a.m. at the Endicott Stadium
Speaker: Baroness Susan Catherine Campbell, British government sports administrator
Expected graduates: 752 total graduates – 450 Bachelor degree students; 295 Master degree students and 7 Associate degree
Degrees: Master of Arts, Master of Education, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration degrees, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees, Associate in Arts, Associate in Science
Honorary degrees: Baroness Campbell and Virginia M. Judge, Endicott trustee and alumna, president/ CEO of Honeycomb Company of America Inc.

Fisher College
Saturday, May 14, at 11 a.m. at the Boston Park Plaza
Speaker: Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz
Expected graduates: 300
Degrees: Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, various certificates.

Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
Sunday, May 15, 3 p.m. on the Olin College Great Lawn
Speaker: Jeff Hawkins, Founder of Palm Computing
Expected graduates: 83
Degrees: B.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering; B.S. Engineering; B.S. Mechanical Engineering

Gordon College
Saturday, May 21, at 10 a.m., campus quad, Wenham
Speaker: Chai Ling, leader of Chinese student movement
Expected graduates: 356 undergraduate students, 50 graduate students
Degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Education

Hampshire College
Saturday, May 21, at 11 a.m. at the Harold F. Johnson Library Lawn
Speaker: Winona LaDuke, environmental activist
Expected graduates: 315
Degrees: Bachelor of Arts

Harvard College
Thursday, May 26, at 2:30 p.m. (afternoon exercises), Tercentenary Theatre, Harvard Yard
Speaker: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia
Honorary degrees: Not yet announced

Lasell College
Sunday, May 15, at 11 a.m. at Taylor Field, Newton
Speaker: US Senator Scott Brown
Expected graduates: 258 undergraduate students, 56 graduate students
Degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Science
Honorary degree: Brown

Lesley University – graduate ceremony
Sat., May 21 10:00 a.m., Bank of America Pavilion
Speaker: Psychiatrist and author Dr. Judith Lewis Herman, Clinical Professor
of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, professor of medicine emeritus, University of Massachusetts, and founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.
Honorary degrees: Herman; Kabat-Zinn
Expected graduates: 2120
Degrees awarded: MA, MS, PhD

Lesley University – undergraduate ceremony
Sat., May 21, 2:00 p.m., Bank of America Pavilion
Speakers: Alan Khazei, founder, Be the Change, Inc.; co-founder, City Year;
Vicki Goldberg, critic.
Honorary degrees: Khazei; Goldberg.

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston campus
Saturday, May 14, at 10 a.m. at the Seaport World Trade Center
Expected graduates: 661
Speaker: Patricia Hannon, president and CEO, New England Baptist Hospital
Degrees: Doctor of Pharmacy, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene, Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Science, Master of Science, Master of Applied Natural Products, Master of Community Oral Health, Master of Science, Master of Science in Nursing, Master in Physician Assistant Studies, Master of Radiologist Assistant Studies, and Certificate in Advanced Pharmacy Practice Studies.
Honorary Degree: Hannon, Doctor of Science

Mass. College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Worcester/Manchester campus
Sunday, May 15, at 1:30 p.m. at the DCU Center
Speaker: Dr. Sylvio Dupuis, former mayor of Manchester, N.H.
Expected graduates: 267
Degrees: Doctor of Pharmacy, Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing

MGH Institute of Health Professions
Friday, May 13, at 2 p.m. at the Hynes Convention Center
Speaker: Marc A. Nivet, Ed.D., Chief Diversity Officer, Association of American Medical Colleges
Expected graduates: 399
Degrees: Doctor of Nursing Practice, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Master of Science, Bachelor of Science, Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, Certificate of Advanced Study
Honorary Degrees: None

Mount Ida College
Friday, May 20, at 11 a.m., lower athletic field, Newton
Speaker: Margaret A. McKenna, President of the Wal-Mart Foundation
Expected graduates: 200
Degrees: Associate Degrees, Bachelor of Arts Degrees, Bachelor of Science Degrees, Master of Science and Management degrees
Honorary degrees: Dr. Irving Fradkin of Fall River, founder of Dollars for Scholars; Clementina “Tina” Chery, co-founder, president, and CEO of the Louis David Brown Peace Institute

Nichols College
Saturday, May 7, at 10:30 am on the softball field off Center Road, Dudley
Speaker: Keith Anderson, chief investment officer for the Soros Fund Management, LLC and its principal entity, the Quantum Fund
Expected graduates: 400
Degrees: Associate of Business Administration, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Business Administration, Master of Leadership
Honorary degrees: None

Northeastern University
Friday, May 6, at 10:30 a.m. TD Garden
Speaker: Henri A. Termeer, former chief executive officer and chairman of Genzyme Corporation
Honorary degrees:Termeer, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, president of the Global Development Program, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Leslie Cohen Berlowitz, president and William T. Golden Chair, American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Rev. Gregory G. Groover Sr., chairman of the Boston School Committee; Bert and John Jacobs, co-founders, Life is good Company; Rashida Manjoo, Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, the UN Human Rights Council; and Ichiro Fujisaki, Japan's ambassador to the US, on behalf of the People of Japan, in recognition of their extraordinary response to the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck their country on March 11, 2011.

Regis College
Saturday, May 14, at 10 a.m. in the Tower Gardens, Weston
Speakers: Liz Walker, journalist and humanitarian for Sudan
Expected graduates: 324 undergraduate students, 147 graduate students
Degrees: Associate of Science Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Public Administration, Master of Science, Master of Arts in Teaching, Post Masters Certificate, Doctorate of Nursing Practice
Honorary degrees: Walker; Sister Dawson, C.P., humanitarian for Peru; Loune Viaud, provider of health care to Haitian citizens

School of the Museum of Fine Arts
Sunday, May 22 at 6 p.m., Museum of Fine Arts
Speaker: Okwui Enwezor, art critic and curator
Expected graduates: 139 undergraduates, 79 graduates

Smith College
Sunday, May 15, at 10 a.m. on the campus quad
Speaker: Sylvia Earle, undersea explorer
Expected graduates: 690 undergraduate students, 75 graduate students
Degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Social Work, Master of Education of the Deaf, Master of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Fine Arts
Honorary degrees: Earle; Margaret Marshall, former chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court; Shiranee Tilakawardane, Sri Lanka Supreme Court justice; Carrie Mae Weems, photographer and artist

Springfield College
Sunday, May 15, 9:30 a.m., MassMutual Center
Speaker: Alan Louis Nero, managing director of Octagon’s baseball division
Expected number of graduates participating: 680
Degrees to be awarded: Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts
Honorary Degree: Alan Louis Nero, Doctor of Humanics

Stonehill College
Sunday, May 22. Stonehill College quadrangle lawn.
Commencement Speaker: Mary Richardson, former co-anchor of WCVB’s “Chronicle”
Expected number of graduates: 604
Degrees awarded: B.A., B.S. and the B.S.B.A.
Honorary degree recipients: Mary Richardson, honorary doctor of humane letters; Manthala "Matt" George '62, doctor of dducation; Robert Ruggiero '83, doctor of fine arts; Brother Herman Zaccarelli, C.S.C., doctor of business administration.

Suffolk University
Sunday, May 22, 2 p.m., Boston Convention Center
Speaker: Jeff Glor, CBS "Early Show" news anchor
Expected number of graduates: 1,989

Tufts University
Sunday, May 22, on the Green at Tuft’s Medford/Somerville Campus
Commencement speaker: Charles M. Vest, president of the National Academy of Engineering and president emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Honorary degree recipients: Geoffrey Canada, president and CEO of the Harlem Children's Zone; Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry; Jamaica Kincaid, award-winning writer; Pamela Omidyar, Tufts alumnus and social justice advocate; Pierre Omidyar, Tufts alumnus, founder and chairman of eBay; Robert Solow, Nobel laureate in economics, advisor to President John F. Kennedy and recipient of the National Medal of Science

Wheaton College
Saturday, May 21, at 10 a.m.
Speaker: Richard Stengel, the managing editor of Time magazine

Wheelock College
Friday, May 13, at 11 a.m. at Temple Israel, Boston
Speaker: Dr. Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and UN high commissioner for human rights
Expected graduates: 306 undergraduate students
Degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Social Work, Master of Science, Master of Social Work
Honorary degrees: Robinson; Dr. Eric Reeves, professor of English and literature at Smith College and Sudan researcher and analyst; Bonnie Neugebauer ’81, founder of Child Care Information Exchange

Williams College
June 5, 2011, 10 a.m., West College Lawn
Speaker: Cory A. Booker, mayor of Newark, N.J.
Expected number of graduates: approximately 500
Degrees awarded: B.A.
Honorary degree recipients: Booker; Ann Bancroft, Arctic and Antarctic explorer; Ken Burns, filmmaker; Marina Abramovic, performance artist; Bruce Russett, political scientist; and Margarito "Gary" B. Teves, former Philippines finance secretary

Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Saturday, May 14 at 11 a.m. on the campus quad (Harrington Auditorium in case of rain)
Speaker: Rex Tillerson, chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ExxonMobil
Degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Masters, and PhD.
Honorary degrees: Roberta Schaefer, President and CEO of Worcester Research Bureau; Linda Hudson, President of Land and Armaments, BAE Systems

To see a list of commencements for the state's public colleges, click here.