Chatham Native Graduates from Clark U.

James Wilson, a resident of Chatham, recently graduated from Clark University in Worcester, Mass., where he also was named to first honors on the 2012 spring semester Dean's List.

To be eligible for first honors, students must have a grade point average of 3.8 or higher, of a maximum of 4.3 (all A+s).

Wilson received his bachelor of arts degree in Management from Clark University on Sunday, May 20 as part of the school's 108th commencement excercises.

As part of the graduation ceremony, Clark awarded 546 baccalaureate, 520 masters, and 26 doctoral degrees. Carol Geary Schneider, the president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), delivered the Commencement address. AAC&U is the leading national organization devoted to advancing and strengthening undergraduate liberal education.

Schneider spoke of the value of a liberal arts education in a down economy. She told the graduates, "employers place very high value on the big-picture thinking and the strong intellectual skills that a Clark University education provides. ...

"Employers are looking for people...who have strong communication skills, who can write well, who can speak well, who have excellent critical thinking skills, who have research skills, problem solving skills. They care a lot about diversity and they want to know they are hiring people that not only can work with, but are positioned to learn from, those whose experiences and world views are different from their own," she said. "All of these have been fundamental to your undergraduate and graduate education at Clark."

Since its founding in 1887, Clark has developed a reputation as an innovative liberal arts college and research university. The range of faculty specialites ranges from psychology to geography, urban education to Holocaust and genocide studies, environmental studies to international development and social change.