Commencement Press Release Information
for 2008 Graduates and Their Families

Congratulations on your graduation from Wellesley!

Commencement is a major milestone, one we encourage you to note by sending a news release to your local newspapers. Use the sample release below as a guide. Be sure to personalize the release with information about aspects of your Wellesley experience, including honors earned, internships, extracurricular activities, sports teams, study abroad, exchanges and future plans.

• Copy the sample news release into a word processing document.
• Replace the bolded information with your personal details.
• Copy the release into an e-mail message and send to your local papers. "Local Resident Graduates from Wellesley College" should be the subject line of the e-mail.
• Attach a 300 dpi JPEG photo of yourself to each e-mail and be sure to use your last name and "Wellesley2008" in the title of the JPEG file.
• Copy the Office for Public Affairs on your e-mail to the paper. We can follow through to see if and when the paper runs the story.
• To find the contact inforrmation for your local newspaper, go to the paper's Web site and look for a "Contact Us" link. As an example, below is a sample result from a local paper. In this case, the release would be e-mailed to the newsroom.

Larger newspapers often have regional editions that are distributed to different parts of the paper's readership area, each with its own team of editors and reporters and separate newsroom contact information. If your local paper has such an edition, your release has a better chance of being published if you send your release to the attention of the regional edition's editor.

Your graduation news should be published within two to four weeks of submission; if not, call the editor to confirm receipt. If your release is published, please send a copy to the Office for Public Affairs.

Best wishes in all your future pursuits!

Sample News Release:

Press release for (your local paper). For immediate release: May 30, 2008

LOCAL RESIDENT GRADUATES FROM WELLESLEY COLLEGE

WELLESLEY, Mass.-- (Your full name) of (your town, state) was awarded a bachelor of arts degree at Wellesley College on Friday, May 30, 2008. (Last name) was one of approximately 600 graduates at Wellesley, the nation's leading college for women. The speaker for Wellesley College’s 130th Commencement was (name of the commencement speaker). (Your last name) majored in (your major) and plans to (work at ABC Company in City, State, OR attend XYZ graduate school, OR travel, volunteer, etc.) after graduation. [IF A DAVIS SCHOLAR, INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: (Your last name) was an Elisabeth Kaiser Davis Scholar. The Elisabeth Kaiser Davis Degree Program is named in honor of a Wellesley alumna from the Class of 1932 whose generosity supports financial aid for non-traditional age students. Davis Scholars participate in the same courses, meet the same exacting standards and earn the same degree as students of traditional college age, but on a schedule tailored to their personal and professional needs.] While at Wellesley, (your last name's) activities included (clubs, sports, volunteer work, jobs, honor societies, etc.) In addition, she completed a (senior thesis, Ruhlman, Tanner or other conference presentation) titled (title of your presentation). She graduated from (name of your high school) in (city, state) in (year) and is the daughter of (your parents' names and hometown(s). Wellesley College, a prominent liberal arts college, has been a leader in the education of women since 1875. Its 500-acre campus near Boston is home to 2,300 undergraduate students. Wellesley's distinguished alumnae include U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, author and film producer Nora Ephron and broadcast journalists Cokie Roberts, Diane Sawyer and Lynn Sherr. ###

 

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