The largest graduating class in the history of University of New England received degrees at a commencement ceremony Saturday at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.
The school gave out 1,747 degrees and certificates, including 524 undergraduate degrees, 916 master’s degrees and certificates and 307 doctorates at its 181st commencement.
The main speaker was Robert Michael Franklin Jr., a professor of moral leadership at Emory University in Atlanta and the director of the religion department at the Chautauqua Institution in New York state.
UNE is Maine’s largest private university, with 10,000 students. It has campuses in Biddeford, Portland and Tangier, Morocco.
At the ceremony, UNE president Danielle Ripich said the commencement was a fitting occasion to honor the university’s growth.
“It is not just our numbers that have grown,” she said. “The university has grown tremendously in its offerings to our students. We’ve added three new colleges, numerous buildings, our own research island and a new, international campus in Tangier, Morocco.” That growth, she said, has in turn allowed UNE’s students to grow.
The University of New England is home to Maine’s only medical and dental schools.
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