Peters Delivers Commencement Address at Alma College

Peters, an Alma Alum, Highlighted Importance of Service

ALMA, MI – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) today delivered the commencement address at Alma College, his alma mater, where he addressed the graduating Class of 2015 by highlighting the work Alma College does to prepare graduates for the future and the importance of community service and involvement. Peters, a member of the Alma College Class of 1980, graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the college, and today received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Alma College President Jeff Abernathy.

“The four years I spent at Alma have been with me throughout my life and have given me tools that allowed me to pursue my passions,” said Senator Peters. “An Alma education teaches you to use your critical and analytical skills to tackle challenges head-on and devise practical, commonsense solutions to difficult problems, and now more than ever, we need innovators and creative problem-solvers actively shaping public policy at all levels of government.”

Peters’ close ties with Alma College date back to his father, who graduated from Alma  in 1938. While at Alma College, Peters was a resident advisor, served as president of his junior class, and was a member of Zeta Sigma fraternity. Peters also studied abroad in France for a semester during his senior year.

“Today’s graduates have in their hands the roadmap to making our democracy work by making it possible for our communities to flourish. In a country where people are continuing to back away from participation in civic life, the values of public service that Alma College instills in its students are critically important,” added Senator Peters. “We need leaders like today’s Alma graduates to keep the promise of the American dream alive, so that ten, fifteen or even thirty-five years from now, the graduates walking across this stage will be heading out into a prosperous and promising future, where everyone is blessed to pursue their own version of the American dream in the world’s greatest country.”

###