Saint Anselm College’s 128th commencement exercises for the class of 2021 will take place on-campus on Saturday, May 15, 2021. The event celebrating the graduates will be held on the College quad in front of Alumni Hall, rain or shine, beginning at 11 a.m. Admission will be by ticket only. The event will be livestreamed on the college website for those unable to physically attend.
President Joseph A. Favazza, Ph.D., also announced that Ed A. Hjerpe III ’81, president/CEO of Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, Mass., will deliver the college’s commencement address and receive an Honorary Doctorate of Business. During the ceremony the college will also award honorary degrees to Robert John Grappone and Beverly D. Grappone.
Edward A. Hjerpe III
Edward A. Hjerpe is president and CEO of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston where he is responsible for the bank’s management, strategy, and operations, a position he has held since 2009. Previously, he was president and COO of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island division of the Webster Bank, and chief operating officer and chief financial officer of FIRSTFED AMERICA BANCORP, INC. He also served as interim president and CEO of Strata Bank in Medway, Mass. Earlier in his career as an economist, he worked for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and then for the Federal Home Loan Bank Board’s Office of Policy and Economic Research.
Ed led the Saint Anselm College Board of Trustees as chairman for four years from 2008 - 2012, having served on the board for more than two decades in various capacities as chair of the finance committee, executive committee, and investment committee. Hjerpe has served on a variety of boards for multiple organizations including on the board of directors for Dental Services of Massachusetts and the United Way of Fall River, the board of trustees for the Roger Williams Medical Center, the board for the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, and on the town of Medway (Mass.) Finance Committee. He currently is a board member for the Pentegra Defined Benefit Pension Plan for Financial Institutions, the Federal Home Loan Banks’ Office of Finance, and the Federal Home Loan Bank Presidents Conference.
He earned his Ph.D. in economics and master’s in economics from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana following his bachelor’s in business and economics from Saint Anselm in 1981.
Hjerpe lives in R.I., with his wife of 35 years, Macrina. They have three children, Christine, Eddie, and Catie, a son-in-law Dave, and two grandchildren, Nolan and Cathleen Macrina.
Robert John Grappone and Beverly D. Grappone
Robert “Bob” and Beverly “Bev” D. Grappone, parents of five children, celebrated 50 years of marriage this past year. Raised in Keene, New Hampshire, Bev attended the Concord Hospital School of Nursing where she was the valedictorian of her class. She worked as a lifelong nurse. Bob earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from East Carolina University. He worked in the family automotive business, Grappone Auto, retiring in 2008 after 43 years, though he is still a majority shareholder. Bob and Bev were co-recipients of the Concord Citizen of the Year in 2003.
For all their professional work and achievements, the center of Bob and Bev’s life together has always been family and service to others. They continue to find ways to give back to the community. Today they are working to help the successful development of the Gregory J. Grappone Humanities Institute at Saint Anselm in honor of their son Greg who graduated from Saint Anselm College in 2004. By cultivating the humanities at Saint Anselm and beyond, Bob and Bev are determined to help people, and especially young people, discover meaning and purpose in their lives.
Nurse Pinning
Senior nursing majors will receive their nursing pins on the morning of commencement, in a ceremony in Sullivan Arena at 8:30 a.m. The event will also be limited admission requiring a ticket and livestreamed on the college website.
Class of 2020 Commencement
Saint Anselm College class of 2020 graduates are invited to return to campus to celebrate their commencement on Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 2 p.m. The ceremony will take place on the College quad, rain or shine. Admission will be by ticket only. The event will be livestreamed on the college website for those unable to physically attend.
For all events, the College will follow state of New Hampshire COVID-19 guidelines, which currently include wearing masks and social distancing of six feet.