Saint Anselm College’s 133rd Commencement was held on Sat., May 16, celebrating 523 students who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
In his final Commencement as President of Saint Anselm College, Joseph A. Favazza, Ph.D. used his address to reflect on the legacy of Harvey C. Barnum ’62, a Medal of Honor recipient who was recently honored at the commissioning of the USS Harvey C. Barnum, Jr., and how one day changed the course of Barnum’s life.
“But the question I keep asking myself is simply this: What will be my response to an unexpected day that will change my life? But even if we have not yet experienced it ourselves, all we need to do is look around and see that a single day can change everything,” said Favazza.
He spoke about how days like that may not change who you are, but can show your essence, and how their time at the Hilltop can shape your response. He spoke more about a conversation with Barnum who told him, “St. A’s gave me the walls. All I had to do was put on the roof.”
“What a wonderful expression of our mission,” shared Favazza. “The college does not change who you are; we simply give you the bricks and mortar of critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, communication, and empathy so you can build strong walls on the foundation that you already had when you first came to the Hilltop. Now, as you depart, all you have to do is put on the roof.”
Favazza ended his address reflecting on the next steps that both graduates and he would be taking, and challenged them to consider Barnum’s daily motto, “Charge on.”
“As we prepare to take our next steps, I suggest we consider Barney’s motto to give us urgency about the days, months, and years ahead,” he challenged. “To not be reticent but rather act with purpose consistent with being an Anselmian. We are in this together, so I suggest as we wrap this up, when I say, ‘Charge On,’ you repeat it as a kind of mantra for what lies ahead. Not recklessness, but purposefulness.”
After he finished, the College presented Favazza with an honorary degree in recognition of his service to the College over the past seven years.
The Commencement Exercises were held on the Alumni Quadrangle on a bright, sunny, and warm spring day. There was a large and festive crowd of family and friends cheering for the graduands as their names were read by Dean Mark Cronin, Ph.D.; Interim Dean Carrie E. MacLeod, Ph.D., APRN-BC ’83; and Professor Jennifer C. Lucas, Ph.D.
Three additional individuals who have distinguished themselves in the field of education, healthcare, and business received honorary degrees during the ceremonies.
Reverend Edwin D. Leahy, O.S.B., a Benedictine monk and headmaster of Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, N.J., delivered the commencement address and received a Doctor of Humane Letters.
Presenting his citation, Father Jerome Day, O.S.B. ’75 remarked that Leahy had a “bold and deeply human approach to education—grounded in personal responsibility, communal accountability, and authentic relationships—has reshaped national conversations about schooling and youth formation.”
That approach was clear as he engaged graduates throughout his address. He had graduates standing and sitting and responding to his prompts. In the address, Leahy spoke not only of his unlikely path to where he stands today, but also of the power of community through the example of bees.
“Find a way to make honey out of the difficult places of life,” encouraged Leahy. “Find somebody in the cracks of life, on the periphery of life, on the rooftops and abandoned buildings of life, and bring the sweetness of your life to them. Don't keep the honey to yourself, share it with somebody else.”
Leahy went on to encourage the students to share the good parts in the same way that birds sing out.
“Sing like the birds in the morning, sing like the birds at the noonday, sing like the birds in the eventide, sing like the birds at in the midnight hour, when things get most difficult and are most ominous,” said Leahy. “If you sing, other folks are going to start the same with you.”
Leahy ended by bringing his message back around to the themes President Favazza shared in his address.
“Be alert for the extraordinary in the midst of the ordinary,” said Leahy. “Be alert for God speaking to you in the everyday of life, in the routine of life, in the burdens of life, in the sufferings of life… Charge on. Charge on.”
Other honorary degree recipients included Jeffery T. Burke ’69 and Lisa Kennedy Sheldon, Ph.D., ANP-BC, AOCNP, FAAN ’78.
Jeffery T. Burke ’69 built a distinguished career as a trusted expert in risk management and insurance. His devotion to his alma mater is evident in decades of meaningful engagement and leadership. Burke has served as a class agent, reunion volunteer, and chair of the Alumni Scholarship Golf Tournament, and has been actively involved with the Center for Ethics in Society and the New Hampshire Institute of Politics. Burke’s impact on Saint Anselm extends to his extraordinary generosity ensuring that future generations of students will have access to the same transformative educational opportunities that shaped his own life.
Lisa Kennedy Sheldon ’78 is a globally respected leader in oncology nursing, education, and advocacy whose career spans more than four decades of distinguished service. Sheldon has dedicated her career to advancing equitable, compassionate, and evidence-based cancer care while elevating the critical role of oncology nurses in improving patient outcomes. Her visionary leadership was exemplified in her role as the first Chief Clinical Officer of the Oncology Nursing Society, where she advanced national policy, promoted evidence-based practice, and ensured that the voice of nursing remained central in shaping cancer care delivery.
The student speaker, Caraline Stewart ’26, a mathematics and music major from Brimfield, Mass., spoke about how the liberal arts at the center of Saint Anselm College impacted her life and created a much richer experience than she ever expected.
“If there’s one thing I’ve come to understand, though, it’s that Saint Anselm didn’t just give us growth on the way toward earning our diploma. We had to meet this place halfway in order to get where we are today. We had to seize the opportunities our teachers, coaches, mentors, and peers put before us,” shared Stewart. “And somewhere along the way, we learned – sometimes intentionally, often by accident – to create our own opportunities by the choices we made, the people with whom we connected, and the ways we allowed ourselves to be seen.”
She ended her speech by pulling out her guitar and playing Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young.”
Abbot Isaac Murphy, O.S.B., the Chancellor of the College, then presented Kristen Coleman, a Theology major from Watertown, Mass. with the Chancellor’s Award, given to the graduating senior with the highest overall grade point average.
During the ceremonies, Professor Kimberly Kersey-Asbury presented the 2026 Distinguished Faculty Award to Economics & Business Professor Dina Frutos-Bencze, Ph.D. on behalf of the college’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP).
“Her enthusiasm and belief in the importance of international experience and engagement, is evident in her research, her Fulbright award and in the mentorship of student Fulbright applicants and sharing the potential impacts of social innovation in the world around us,” cited Kersey-Asbury.
Hooding ceremonies for the college’s Master of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice and Master of Education in Special Education programs took place on the morning of commencement, with 18 criminal justice and six education students conferred degrees. The inaugural hooding ceremony for the college’s Master of Public Policy took place for eight students on May 6 at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
On the day prior to commencement, and held in the Abbey Church due to rain, the Senior Honors Convocation celebrated the academic achievement of the class of 2026, with 32 awards going to individuals, along with the recognition of seniors inducted into 16 honor societies. The Convocation was followed by the Baccalaureate Mass, with Fr. Stephen Lawson, O.S.B. '08 , delivering the Homily.
“Whether you are becoming a nurse, a banker, a teacher, a scientist, or a graduate student, no matter what you will be doing; you are called to live out your faith and to pursue truth and holiness,” said Fr. Lawson. “Live lives that seek to promote peace, dignity, and justice in your communities.”
Commencement Weekend ended with the sun shining and bells ringing, and the parting words Favazza shared with each member of the community.
“I love you, class of 2026. Don’t worry about the surprising days ahead. Find your purpose. Build yourself a roof and charge On!!”
To read the full remarks of the commencement speakers, view photos and the simulcast of the event, go to anselm.edu/commencement.