Thousands of people piled into Cross Insurance Center in Bangor on Saturday for the commencement ceremony of Husson University’s largest graduating class to date — 810 students earning 908 degrees.
“It’s the largest graduating number of degrees we’ve awarded in university history, so we’re excited,” Husson University President Robert Clark said just seconds before marching out to the ceremony Saturday morning.
Kicking off the ceremony, Peter Vigue, chair of the board of directors of Cianbro Co., delivered the commencement address. Harkening back to his days in school, Vigue told an amusing tale about an intimidating high school Latin teacher who instilled in him the importance of a positive, “can-do” attitude.
“Her inspiring words have taken me through some of the most difficult and challenging times in my life, and helped me to persevere when I might have quit,” Vigue said.
Originally from Pittsfield, Vigue graduated from Maine Maritime Academy in 1969 with a degree in marine engineering. After a brief stint in the merchant marines, he accepted an entry-level position at Cianbro in 1970 and worked his way up the ladder to become president of the company and then CEO.
Earlier this year, Vigue stepped aside as Cianbro’s CEO but continues to serve as chair of the board of directors while also devoting time to Cianbro Development Corp.
In his commencement speech, Vigue spoke about the many things he believes leads a person to be successful.
“Success is about being passionate about everything you do,” he said, “being positive and not negative. Success is about building and maintaining a reputation of being honest, and being a person of integrity. Success also comes from treating people the right away.”
The class’ three valedictorians echoed these sentiments: Chase Walton Allen of Brewer, who received a bachelor’s in accounting and a master’s in business administration; Weston R. Ranalli of Big Lake Township, who received a bachelor’s in accounting and a master’s in business administration; and Kirsten Rose Wood of Madison, who received a bachelor’s in kinesiology. All three completed their degrees with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
“Both of my parents are school teachers,” Wood said. “They instilled in my the importance of school. And I have a younger sister, so I feel like we’re always competing against each other to get good grades.”
Wood, who will be staying on at Husson for another two years as a part of the university’s doctor of physical therapy program, is looking forward to going on her first clinical rotation after graduation.
“For years, I felt like I was working towards a goal that hadn’t quite come together yet,” Wood said. “This year, I’ve learned so much. I’m finally starting to imagine myself as a physical therapist. While I still have a long way to go, the progress feels amazing.”
Her fellow valedictorian Ranalli recently accepted a position as a staff auditor in the Portland office of Baker Newman Noyes, a New England accounting and advisory firm.
“It’s great to see all your hard work come together,” Ranalli said.
When asked his secret to success, Ranalli also thought of his family, and then offered this advice: “Set a goal and make it your top priority, and then I think to find someone to do it with. The other valedictorian, Chase Allen, I wouldn’t have a 4.0 if it wasn’t for him because I knew he was getting good grades, so I had to get good grades. Together, we pushed each other.”
Robbie C. Chamberland of Saint Agatha, was the class’ salutatorian. He earned a bachelor’s in accounting and a master’s in business administration while maintaining a grade point average of 3.983.
Saturday marked the 119th commencement for Husson University, which has a Bangor campus and off-campus satellite education centers in southern and northern Maine.
Clark, the university’s president, said in a prepared statement. “With the completion of our new townhouses, the upcoming construction of our new Wellness Center, and plans to create a new state-of-the-art College of Business Building, our Bangor campus is transforming as well.”
Based on admissions numbers, Clark expects Husson’s student body to continue to grow.
“We’re already about 13 percent ahead of last year in our first year recruitment class as of May 1, which is the national reporting deadline,” Clark said. “These are good issues to be dealing with.”
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