2009 Graduates in the Spotlight
As Western Connecticut State University prepares for our 111th annual Commencement ceremony, we pause for a moment to look back at our past — and ahead to our graduates’ futures.
Depending on the year they passed through our gates, our students have received a degree from the Danbury Normal School (1903 – 1936), Danbury State Teachers College (1937 – 1959), Danbury State College (1960 – 1967), Western Connecticut State College (1967 – 1982) and Western Connecticut State University (since 1983).
We’ve grown from early graduating classes of several dozen students to close to 1,000 in recent years, conferring undergraduate, graduate and starting in 2008 — doctoral — degrees.
In the class of 2008, our graduates hailed from 18 U.S. states and 118 Connecticut cities and towns. The average age was 26 for those obtaining a bachelor's degree and 35 for those obtaining a master's degree. The mean grade point average in 2008 for WestConn students receiving a bachelor's degree was 3.13. For graduate students, it was 3.81.
The numbers for the class of 2009 are still being written. Here is a glimpse at what some of our graduates’ futures hold.
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Melanie Belec Bachelor of Science in Nursing |
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Stephen Price Bachelor of Music |
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Meredith Liberto Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry |
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John Ready Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing |
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Nhung Nguyen B.B.A. in Accounting |
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Jeff Shpunt Master of Business Administration |
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Linda Plecity Master of Health Administration |
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Laura Telman Bachelor of Science, Music Education |
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Charlie Price Master of Business Administration |














