Katherine D. Hackett of Huntington earns top award & graduates from Saint Michael's College

Deloitte Touche HR Exec James Wall tells graduates the Liberal Arts were never more important.

Related Media

Katherine Hackett receives top academic & service award from Saint Michael's College, presented here by SMC President John J. Neuhauser. Photo by Andy Duback.

COLCHESTER, VT (05/27/2011)(readMedia)-- Katherine Denise Hackett, daughter of William and Madelaine Hackett of Huntington, earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology and sociology, cum laude, from Saint Michael's College at ceremonies held May 16 on the campus of the liberal arts residential Catholic college located in the Burlington area of Vermont. Ms. Hackett was also awarded the Katherine Fairbanks Memorial Award, which goes to the top woman Saint Michael's graduate every year.

James Wall, a 1974 graduate of Saint Michael's, and now global managing director of human resources for Deloitte Touche Tomatsu, a multinational corporation with 2,000 partners and over 100,000 employees, was the featured speaker at the Saint Michael's College 104th commencement. "The value of a liberal-arts education at Saint Michael's College has never been more relevant than it is today – never," he declared. "My Saint Michael's experience taught me how to learn. Nothing is more important in today's world." Wall served on the college's board of trustees for 12 years, four of those as chairman. Some 435 undergraduates received bachelor's degrees at the ceremony as well as 95 graduate students who earned master's degrees.

Katherine Hackett wins top award

Ms. Hackett was cited for rare and outstanding dedication to the values of an other-centered, service-oriented life. She was described as "exemplary on so many levels."

Ms. Hackett served as secretary of academics for the student government, worked hard for new student orientation, for campus ministry, for the MOVE (volunteer service) program. She engaged in numerous service projects, including leading the Best Buddies program which pairs college students with adults in the area who have physical and mental challenges.

Ms. Hackett also did service with children with disabilities on her study abroad semester in Ecuador. She is currently doing a service trip to the Dominican Republic, and she master-minded a superb level of participation in the Penguin Plunge fund-raiser for Vermont Special Olympics.

"Katherine Hackett always advocates for social justice," said SMC President John J. Neuhauser.

Learn What Matters at Saint Michael's College, The Edmundite Catholic liberal arts college, www.smcvt.edu . Saint Michael's provides education with a social conscience, producing graduates with the intellectual tools to lead successful, purposeful lives that will contribute to peace and justice in our world. Founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, Saint Michael's College is located three miles from Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top college towns. It is identified by the Princeton Review as one of the nations Best 371 Colleges, and is included in the 2011 Fiske Guide to Colleges. Saint Michael's is one of only 280 colleges and universities nationwide, one of only 20 Catholic colleges, with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Saint Michael's has 1,900 undergraduate students, some 500 graduate students and 100 international students. Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Pickering, Guggenheim, Fulbright, and other grants. The college is one of the nation's top-100, Best Liberal Arts Colleges as listed in the 2011 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

-30-