Academic Affairs

Central College Lawn (located in the vicinity of Munroe and Voter Halls)

Please come prepared for all weather conditions (warm coats, rain gear, hats, sunscreen, etc.) and wear shoes appropriate for damp, uneven, grassy terrain.

A tent, to provide sun or rain protection, will be located behind the seating area. A live broadcast of the ceremony will be provided in Wilson Hall in the McCullough Student Center (directly behind the rain tent) and Mead Chapel (up the hill) for those who wish to be inside.

Mead Memorial Chapel
President Patton will address the senior class.

All are welcome to attend. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis. A live broadcast will be provided in Wilson Hall, in the McCullough Student Center, and in Dana Auditorium, in Sunderland Language Center. Mead Chapel is not air conditioned. For guests who prefer a more comfortable setting, Wilson Hall and Dana Auditorium offer cushioned seating and air conditioning.

Lecture by Brandon Baird, Assistant Professor of Spanish.

“Unequivocally Authentic: Mayan Language and Identity in Modern Guatemala” -

Lecture by Laurel Jenkins, Assistant Professor of Dance.

This lecture centers on the generative nature of rigorous play in the dance studio and stage. I will focus on emerging choreographic methodologies developed within two of my recent works: B A S E (a durational rule game), which premiered at the Getty Center (2016), and look down and see the crowd, look up and see the infinite sky, which premiered at the Irvine Barclay Theater (2017). 

Lecture by Erik Bleich, Charles A. Dana Professor of Political Science.

Lecture by Erick Gong, Assistant Professor of Economics.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has been described as the “most dramatic epidemic since the Black Plague in Europe.” I will discuss the challenges of research in this area, as well as the unintended consequences of HIV-testing on sexual behavior, and the effects that unexpected fluctuations in income have on individual behaviors that contribute to the epidemic.

Lecture by Karl Lindholm, Emeritus Dean of Advising, Assistant Professor of American Studies.

“Also Plays: Stories from a Middlebury Life”
Entertaining stories from decades of working and raising a family at Middlebury

James Davis, Professor of Religion will give this week’s Carol Rifelj Faculty Lecture.

“Is Civility Dead? Religion, Political Virtue, and Deliberative Democracy in the Age of Trump”

Bill Hart, Associate Professor of History will give this week’s Carol Rifelj Faculty Lecture.

“To ‘construct a virtuous…community in Africa’: Extending the Great Redeemer’s Kingdom through the American Colonization Society”

Associate Professor Rebecca Kneale Gould of the Program in Environmental Studies will give this week’s Carol Rifelj lecture.

“Rethinking Thoreau: Race, Religion and Renewal.”