U.S. Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, 20th Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, poses for a command portrait in the Army portrait studio at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., Sept. 26, 2019. (U.S. Army photo by Monica King)
NORTHFIELD — Norwich University announced that Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark A. Milley will give the commencement address to the Class of 2021 in recorded remarks on Saturday, May 1.
Milley was born June 20, 1958, in Winchester, Massachusetts. In 1980, he graduated from Princeton University and received his commission from the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). During his more than 40 years in uniform, Milley commanded and served in units at every echelon, from platoon leader to U.S. Army chief of staff.
In 2019, he was appointed the 20th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Milley is the senior-most ranking member of the military and serves as principal advisor to the President, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Council.
Besides a bachelor’s degree in political science from Princeton University, Milley has master’s degrees in international relations from Columbia University and national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College. He is also an alumnus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI National Security Studies Program.
In accordance with state of Vermont pandemic guidelines and with the health and safety of the Norwich community as our highest priority, Norwich University’s 2021 Commencement ceremonies will be a hybrid of virtual streamed and in-person events. There will be four separate commencement ceremonies, two each running simultaneously in Shapiro Fieldhouse and Kreitzberg Arena at 9 a.m. and noon on Saturday, May 1. Milley will receive an honorary Doctor of Military Science before addressing an anticipated 490 students graduating from 32 undergraduate programs and one master’s program: 477 bachelor’s degrees and 13 masters of architecture.
The ceremony, which is free and open to the public via livestream, will be held in person for the graduating seniors and two ticketed, fully COVID-19–vaccinated guests observing Vermont and federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 safety protocols. Learn more here: norwich.edu/commencement.
