POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — President Catharine Bond Hill presided over the 144th Vassar College commencement ceremonies today, conferring Bachelor of Arts degrees to 638 graduating students on the grounds of the college's outdoor amphitheater. Among Vassar's class of 2008:

• Sixty-two students were elected to Phi Beta Kappa for overall academic achievement, with majors in Anthropology (1), Astronomy (1), Art (2), Biochemistry (1), Biology (2), Chinese (4), Classics (1), Cognitive Science (3), Drama (3), Economics (9), English (5), Environmental Studies (2), Film (2), French (6), Geography (1), German Studies (1), Hispanic Studies (1), History (3), International Studies (2), Italian (1), Japanese (1), Latin American Studies (1), Mathematics (5), Media Studies (1), Music (2), Neuroscience and Behavior (2), Philosophy (3), Physics (2), Political Science (2), Psychology (8), Science, Technology, and Society (1), Sociology (2), and Urban Studies (1).
• The college's Phi Beta Kappa Prize for 2008 was awarded to Jessica Gem Linden Swienckowski, who majored in Neuroscience and Behavior.
• Twenty-two graduates were elected to the Sigma Xi national honor society for the sciences, with majors in Anthropology (1), Astronomy (1), Biochemistry (2), Biology (4), Chemistry (6) Cognitive Science (3), Geology (1), Mathematics (1), Neuroscience and Behavior (3), and Physics (1).
• Five graduates were selected for both Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi.
• One hundred and twenty-nine graduates were awarded General Honors.
• Departmental honors were awarded to graduates majoring in Africana Studies (3), American Culture (4), Anthropology (3), Anthropology-Sociology (1), Art (11), Astronomy (1), Biochemistry (4), Biology (11), Chemistry (8), Chinese (6), Classics: Greek (1), Classics: Latin (2), Cognitive Science (5), Computer Science (4), Drama (6), Economics (15), English (7), Environmental Studies (5), Film (4), French & Francophone Studies (8), Geography (4), Geology (2), German Studies (2), Hispanic Studies (3), History (8), Independent Program (4), International Studies (9), Italian (4), Japanese (3), Latin American & Latino/a Studies (4), Mathematics (5), Media Studies (7), Medieval and Renaissance Studies (1), Music (5), Neuroscience and Behavior (8), Philosophy (4), Physics (3), Political Science (14), Psychology (12), Religion (3), Russian Studies (1), Science, Technology & Society (2), Sociology (10), Urban Studies (3), Victorian Studies (1), and Women's Studies (3).