Scott T. Stevens '77 will deliver the keynote address as Western New England University holds its 2018 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 19 at 2:00 p.m. in the Alumni Healthful Living Center on campus. Stevens will be awarded the President’s Medallion during the ceremony, which features the awarding of bachelor’s degrees to students from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, and Engineering.
A native of Poughkeepsie, NY, Stevens is the founder of the Stageless Players club at Western New England University. He went on to lead a varied career in theatre as an actor, producer, director, talent coordinator, and company manager. A member of the Actor’s Equity Association and the Screen Actor’s Guild, his career credits span from the musicals Cabaret to Little Shop of Horrors, and The Guiding Light soap opera.
As a multi-talented performer, Stevens has been a mainstay in musical tributes and celebrations of leading names in show business, landing on the stages of Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center, and working with such luminaries as Paul Newman, Bernadette Peters, Alec Baldwin, Carole King, Chita Rivera, Tommy Tune, Bette Midler, Whoopi Goldberg, and many more.
Beyond the stage lights, Stevens has worked tirelessly in support of his fellow actors, including membership in the Ziegfeld Club, one of the first nonprofits for the Broadway community. He is currently on the production team of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, an organization where he has volunteered for more than 20 years. Through its Broadway Bears annual auction Stevens started, more than $2 million has been raised for charity through 643 teddy bears styled like famous celebrities. A lifelong champion for animals, he also has served on the Board of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals and the Board for Broadway Barks in Manhattan.
The President’s Medallion Award is bestowed upon those who have distinguished themselves in a particular field or in service to an important cause that has benefited society. The President’s Medallion also recognizes individuals in a variety of fields who are role models worthy of emulation by all, particularly the students and alumni of Western New England University. Past recipients include attorney and professor Anita Hill, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder, Broadway actress Mamie Duncan Gibbs, Olympian and World Anti-Doping Agency President Dick Pound, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice John Greaney, and former Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe.
Western New England University will provide live streaming video of the Commencement ceremonies. The feed will be available on the Web at wne.edu/commencement.
