Jennifer Britton of Pawlet Earns Academic Recognition at Skidmore College

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY (05/30/2012)(readMedia)-- Jennifer Britton, a member of the Class of 2012 at Skidmore College, earned academic recognition at the college this spring.

She is the daughter of Jack Britton of Pawlet, Vermont, and Robin Britton of Gloucester, Mass.

She received a B.A. degree summa cum laude with honor in psychology at Skidmore's 101st commencement May 19 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. In addition, Britton was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the national honor society that exists to encourage and recognize outstanding individual achievements in liberal education.

Grace Burton, associate professor of Spanish, was chosen by the graduates to deliver the commencement remarks. A Skidmore faculty member since 1987, she focused on "the presence, power, and possibilities of nothing," explaining "If it is nothing that allows us to relate one thing to another, it is also nothing that allows us to find deeper connections and discover more profound truths."

Three honorary degree recipients also addressed the graduates:

Terence Blanchard, jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, arranger, and multiple Grammy Award winner; Ron Chernow, American biographer whose books have won many awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Washington: A Life; and Suzanne Corbet Thomas, Skidmore Class of 1962, chair of the Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2008, and the ultimate Skidmore ambassador.

Founded in 1903, Skidmore College is a coeducational, liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The college grants the bachelor's degree in some 60 majors, including both traditional liberal arts disciplines and preprofessional programs. Skidmore also awards the master of arts in liberal studies degree.