Western New England University will hold its 2019 Undergraduate Centennial Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 18 at 2:00 p.m. in the Alumni Healthful Living Center on campus. The ceremony will include the awarding of approximately 550 bachelor's degrees. Kevin S. Delbridge '77 will be this year's keynote speaker and will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
A senior advisor at HarbourVest Partners, LLC of Boston, Kevin S. Delbridge is a distinguished alumnus, longtime trustee, and the largest individual donor in the University's 100-year history. Joining the University's Board of Trustees in 1998, Delbridge has held leadership positions as vice chair (2006 to 2009) and chair (2009 to 2015). He served as cochair of the Transformations Campaign (2003 to 2008) and is an honorary cochair of the Campaign for Our Second Century, the University's most ambitious fundraising effort to date.
Delbridge and his wife, Sandra, have provided scholarships to hundreds of deserving students through the Kevin S. Delbridge Endowed Scholarship and the Delbridge Family Endowed Scholarship. Thanks to his generosity, thousands of visitors, students, faculty, and staff have passed through the doors of the Kevin S. Delbridge Welcome Center. In recognition of his support, spaces in Sleith Hall and the Center for the Sciences and Pharmacy also bear his name.
After graduating from Western New England University with his BSBA in Accounting, Delbridge passed the CPA exam in 1977. He received his MBA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1985 and earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1987. He launched his career as an auditor at Coopers & Lybrand, then moved on to CIGNA's Venture Capital Group. In 1988, he joined John Hancock Venture Capital, a subsidiary of John Hancock Insurance. In 1997, he and other senior partners bought the venture company and formed HarbourVest Partners. After longtime service as the firm's Senior Managing Director, he became a Senior Advisor in 2010. In this role, he provides input on firm strategy, investment reviews, and special projects. A military veteran, Delbridge honorably served his country with six years in the U.S. Naval Reserves, including two years stationed in Washington, DC. After his assignment in Washington, he completed his studies at Western New England while fulfilling his role in the Reserves.
Delbridge has also given of his time and expertise on the Board of Governors at Tufts Medical Center. He has served on the Boards of both the Hopkinton (MA) Community Endowment and the Hopkinton Center for the Arts. Recently, he joined the Board of Directors of FloDesign Sonics, a biotech company started by graduates and faculty of Western New England University.
Delbridge will continue to guide the University into its second century. His vision and his major gift to our current campaign will help the University to reimagine and transform the Career Development Center into a premier destination for students, alumni, and employers as Western New England University continues to prepare its students for the careers of tomorrow.
For more information on Commencement, visit wne.edu/commencement or to view a live streaming video of the Commencement ceremonies visit wne.edu/commencement.
