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���ϴ����� alumna Molly Smith Metzler, playwright, screenwriter and TV writer, will deliver the keynote address for the college’s two undergraduate commencement ceremonies May 13 in the Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena. Metzler will her speech, titled "Did I Give My Friends E-coli?", at both the 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. ceremonies. The college will confer an estimated 1,175 undergraduate degrees this year.

“It’s always a pleasure welcoming one of our own graduates back to campus to deliver the keynote commencement address,” said ���ϴ����� President Denise A. Battles. “Molly’s successful writing talents continue to enliven the world of entertainment with her involvement in a variety of media and I know her message will be a memorable one for the Class of 2017.”

Metzler received ���ϴ�����’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 2012. Her plays, which include “Cry it Out,” “Elemeno Pea,” “The May Queen,” “Carve,” “Training Wisteria” and “Close Up Space,” have been produced across the country, in theaters such as Manhattan Theatre Club, Actors Theatre of Louisville, South Coast Repertory, The O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, Chautauqua Theater Company, Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, and many more.

She has numerous professional awards to her credit, including the Lecomte du Nouy Prize from Lincoln Center, the National Student Playwriting Award from The Kennedy Center, the Association for Theatre in Higher Education's David Mark Cohen Award, and the Mark Twain Comedy Prize. She is under commission at Manhattan Theatre Club and South Coast Repertory.

In television, Metzler is a writer/producer for "Shameless" (Showtime). She also has written for “Codes of Conduct” (HBO), “Casual” (Hulu), and “Orange Is the New Black” (Netflix). She is also a screenwriter and is currently adapting Ali Benjamin’s award-winning novel “The Thing About Jellyfish” into a feature film for OddLot and Pacific Standard (actress Reese Witherspoon's company).

Metzler, who majored in English at ���ϴ�����, also is a graduate of the Juilliard School and holds a master's degree from Boston University. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.

During the afternoon ceremony, the college will confer an honorary doctor of humane letters degree upon John Churchill, secretary emeritus of The Phi Beta Kappa Society. Churchill served as Phi Beta Kappa secretary for 15 years before retiring in 2016. As the chief executive officer, the secretary is responsible to the society’s Senate for the administration of the programs and activities of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. ���ϴ�����’s chapter is among 283 on college and university campuses advocating for excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. Churchill also is professor and dean emeritus of Hendrix College in Arkansas.

A member of the graduating class traditionally addresses fellow graduates at commencement and Hannah Loo, a double major in biology and music from Flushing,N.Y., will address the morning ceremony. Amal Thabateh, a philosophy major from Brooklyn, N.Y., will address the afternoon ceremony.

Both undergraduate ceremonies will be streamed live. Visit the college’s commencement webpage for more information on the events.

���ϴ����� graduate students are being recognized during a master’s degree commencement ceremony May 5. Forty-four students received master’s degrees this year: 17 in accounting and 27 in education. Addressing the graduate ceremony was Beverly Burrell-Moore, deputy superintendent for teaching and learning for the Rochester City School District.