PSU's 152nd Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony is May 13

PLYMOUTH — Plymouth State University will welcome Boston Bruins anthem singer and PSU alumnus Todd Angilly,  who will deliver the keynote address for the university’s 152nd undergraduate commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 13. City of Manchester Public Health director Anna Thomas will address graduates at the university’s graduate commencement ceremony on Friday evening, May 12. Both ceremonies will be held at the Bank of New Hampshire Field House in the Active Living, Learning, and Wellness (ALLWell) North Building on PSU’s Holderness campus.

“We are honored to welcome three distinguished guests to Plymouth State University for our 2023 commencement ceremonies, each of whom is accomplished in their field — or fields — and touches the lives of people in positive ways through their work and community involvement,” PSU President Donald L. Birx, Ph.D., said. “Although Todd and Anna come from different professional backgrounds, we are excited for our graduates and guests to hear from them and learn from their experiences, and we look forward to recognizing Peter for his business accomplishments and his commitment to helping aspiring entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams.”

After graduating from PSU in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in music, Angilly was accepted into the opera program at the New England Conservatory in Boston. While studying at the conservatory, he worked part-time at Fenway Park, where he would often practice singing while he worked. He was soon discovered by a member of the front office staff who invited him to perform the national anthem at a Red Sox game, and he soon, became a regular in the rotation at Fenway Park. Angilly famously filled-in for renowned Boston Bruins anthem singer Rene Rancourt on-and-off for several seasons, and was named the franchise’s official anthem singer upon Rancourt’s retirement in October 2019. He has performed the anthem for all five New England professional sports teams.

PSU will also honor Peter Bauer, CEO and Co-founder of Mimecast, a global internet security company, with an honorary doctorate of business during the undergraduate ceremony on Saturday.

Eager to start a company of his own, Bauer chose to bypass college and work toward his dream. Inspired by a marketing management class, and a position as a system engineer in training with Microsoft, Bauer co-founded his first software business, which was eventually acquired by a publicly traded firm.

Bauer relocated to the United Kingdom where he co-founded Mimecast in 2003. Mimecast now boasts offices in 13 countries with more than 2,000 employees globally serving more than 40,000 customers in 100 countries.

“I admire Plymouth State University’s entrepreneurship program, not only because of the quality teaching, but because of the students who show up hungry to learn, determined and eager to prepare themselves to pursue their own business ventures,” said Bauer. “I have had an amazing time engaging with them, and I am honored to be able to count myself as among them by receiving this honorary degree.”

Anna Thomas will address the students who have earned graduate degrees and certificates from PSU, and she will be presented with an honorary Doctor of public health degree.

Thomas earned her bachelor’s degree in health management and policy from the University of New Hampshire, and a master’s degree in public health from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. She was one of only 20 recipients of a scholarship from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to pursue a Graduate Certificate in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. 

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be even a small part of this momentous occasion,” said Thomas. “Plymouth State University’s graduate leaders are our future healers and visionaries. I look forward to their continued success and credit the foundation they have received from PSU to propel them forward.”

Information about PSU’s 2023 undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremonies is available at plymouth.edu/commencement.