Due to the size of the graduating class, the University is only able to send a general graduation announcement to students' hometown newspapers. This general news release is submitted automatically -- you don't need to request it -- for every graduating senior shortly after Commencement, and includes the name, hometown and degree of each undergraduate, as well as information about Commencement itself.
If you would like to submit a more detailed news release that includes personal information specific to the graduate (interests, awards, plans, etc.), you may find it helpful to follow the format below. Simply copy the entire template onto your own document, insert information about the graduating student where specified in brackets or by asterisk, then print and send the finished release to the news desk of your local newspaper -- or email it, if the newspaper prefers to receive items that way. You may also want to include a photo of the graduate; if you do so by mail, remember to write his or her name on the back of it.
CONTACT: [your name and telephone number or email address]
SPECIAL TO: [name of your local newspaper]
RELEASE DATE: AFTER May 19, 2008
[CITY] RESIDENT [STUDENT NAME] GRADUATES FROM BOSTON COLLEGE, CHESTNUT HILL, MA (May 19, 2008) -- [Student's name], [select one: son/daughter] of [names of parents/guardians] of [city], was awarded a [cite degree received*] at the 132nd Commencement of Boston College on May 19. Approximately 3,000 graduates received degrees.
The 2008 Commencement speaker was award-winning historian David McCullough, author of the critically acclaimed and best-selling books 1776 and John Adams. Winner of two National Book Awards and two Pulitzer Prizes for his best-selling historical volumes, McCullough has been praised for his books' scholarship, understanding of American life, "vibrant prose" and insight into individual character. His most recent book, 1776, is a New York Times No. 1 best seller in both hardcover and paperback, with more than three million copies in print. His previous work, John Adams, remains one of the most critically acclaimed and widely read American biographies of all time. McCullough, also a noted speaker and narrator, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at the ceremony.
Boston College also awarded honorary degrees to four other distinguished individuals: Brother Celestino Arias, OFM Cap., whose ministry has included youth empowerment in Boston and combating AIDS/HIV in Africa; American Association of Retired Persons President-elect Jennie Chin Hansen; former Federal Communications Commission member Anne P. Jones; and Boston College Vice President and Special Assistant to the President William B. Neenan, SJ.
The Rev. William P. Leahy, SJ, 25th president of Boston College, presented the degrees to the graduates.
[Student's name] is a graduate of [name/city of high school]. At Boston College, [cite here any academic honors, memberships in clubs, athletics activities, et. al. **]
Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1863, Boston College is one of the foremost Catholic universities in the United States, with an enrollment of approximately 14,500 undergraduate and graduate students drawn from all 50 states and 85 countries. It also is one of the nation's most selective universities, with more than 30,000 applications for its 2,250-member freshman class received this year. Its faculty of eminent scholars is dedicated to teaching, both at the undergraduate level and in its nationally-noted graduate programs in education, law, management, nursing and social work. Though it has grown in size, stature and diversity, Boston College remains focused on its founding Jesuit mission to offer students a transforming educational experience: to help them develop both their intellect and their character, and to encourage them to lead lives of faith, integrity and service to others.
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* If the degree is awarded with honors (cum laude, etc.) include that information here.
**If the graduate's plans are known, a new paragraph including that information could be added after the activities list.
