Newswise — United States Senator Barbara Boxer will be the commencement speaker at Mills College on Saturday, May 13, 2006. In honor of her outstanding public leadership, she will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree from the College.
At the commencement ceremony, 217 women will receive bachelor degrees; 194 women and men will receive master's degrees, eight will receive doctoral degrees in educational leadership, and 73 will earn credentials and certificates. The College's 118th graduation event begins at 9:45 am on the campus in Toyon Meadow.
Senator Boxer joined the Senate in 1993 following ten years of service in the House of Representatives. Elected to a third term in 2004, she received more than 6.9 million votes, the highest total for any Senate candidate in American history.
"Mills College honors Senator Boxer for her exceptional advocacy on behalf of families, children, consumers, the environment, and her State of California," said Mills President Janet L. Holmgren. "She sets the highest standard of national leadership, a model based on integrity and an overriding commitment to improve the status of women and children throughout the world."
Senator Boxer was the author of landmark legislation establishing the first federal funding for after-school programs, as well as one of the original authors of the Violence Against Women Act. She wrote a Patients' Bill of Rights, and is a leading defender of a woman's right to choose, having authored the Freedom of Choice Act of 2004. A proponent of improving access to higher education, Senator Boxer supported an increase in Pell Grants and new tax benefits for lower income students and their families.
Senator Boxer is a member of the Senate Committees on Commerce, Foreign Relations, and Environment and Public Works. She is the Democratic Chief Deputy Whip, and serves on the Democratic Policy Committee's Committee on Oversight and Investigations.
Mills College is a nationally renowned, independent liberal arts college offering innovative degree programs for undergraduate women and graduate degree and certificate programs for women and men. Consistently ranked among the top 75 liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Mills is also recognized as one of the country's 20 most diverse liberal arts colleges. Nestled in the foothills of Oakland, California on 135 lush acres, Mills provides a dynamic liberal arts education fostering women's leadership, social responsibility, and creativity.
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