WE-TOWN

Elizabethtown College’s 106^th Commencement will be held Saturday, May 16, 2009, at 11 a.m. A record number of students, 524, will be participating in this year’s commencement, held in the Dell on the E-town campus. The event is the culmination of a week of special activities for seniors at Elizabethtown College.

Ms. Mary Ellen McNish, General Secretary of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), will address this year’s graduates.  AFSC is a Quaker organization devoted to peace and justice in the U.S. and around the world.  The organization is a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for its work in post-World War II Germany. A graduate of East Stroudsburg University and Johns Hopkins, Ms. McNish has served as General Secretary since 2000.  During that time she has represented AFSC on peace delegations to North Korea, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, as well as at Nobel Peace Laureate Summits. 

During her tenure, the organization has been active in community building in Bosnia, enhancing the education system in Afghanistan, peace advocacy regarding the Iraq war, and flood relief in the gulf region, Honduras, and areas affected by the Tsunami.  She oversees an array of ongoing programs, including those addressing economic and social justice, immigrant rights, African development, and Israeli-Palestinian peace.  She is a frequent speaker on issues regarding human rights, economic justice and conflict transformation.