News Stories

On Saturday, May 30th, 2009 the Boston Architectural College celebrated its 120th Commencement at the Old South Church. BAC Trustees, Overseers, Faculty and Staff honored one hundred graduates. The Valedictorians of the Master's Program Michele Marie Yack, Master of Interior Design and of the Bachelor's Program Stephen R. Martyak, Bachelor of Design Studies, delivered joyous remarks to the assembly of sixty-nine graduates from the School of Architecture, twenty-three from the School of Interior Design and eight from the School of Design Studies. This year's class included the first graduates of the BAC’s groundbreaking Distance Master of Architecture program. 



President Ted Landsmark addressed the graduates as "professional colleagues who are the best prepared design school graduates anywhere in America." Dr.Landsmark charged the graduates to maintain a sense of ethical fairness in the face of professional challenge with the following remarks, "I am not speaking about what one does within or outside the constraints of laws or codes but of  a personal sense of ethics we must all have if we are to succeed personally, and as professionals." President Landsmark reminded that "Each of us carries out daily, a kind of post-occupancy analysis on each of our actions within the communities within which we live and work."

Honorary degrees were conferred on four esteemed members of the design community including Commencement Speaker Marshall Purnell FAIA, Doctor of Architecture; William Hodgins ASID, Doctor of Design Education; Carol Johnson FASLA, Doctor of Design Education and Frederick "Tad" Stahl FAIA, Doctor of Collaborative Practice.  

Commencement weekend began with the opening of the Graduation Exhibition 2009 in McCormick Gallery and the annual Honors and Awards Ceremony that recognized the scholarly and professional achievements of the graduating students.