Bicentennial Medalists to be Honored

During Convocation on Sept. 16, five alumni will receive Bicentennial Medals for distinguished service in their fields. This year’s recipients are: Ira Mickenberg ’72, founder and director of the National Defender Training Project, which seeks to improve the quality of legal representation for indigent criminal defendants; Dr. Richard Besser ’81, CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson foundation, former ABC News chief health and medical editor and former leader of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Wendy Young ’83, president of KIND (Kids in Need of Defense), working to assist and defend unaccompanied refugee and immigrant children in the U.S.; Adam Schlesinger ’89, co-founder of the band Fountains of Wayne and an award-winning songwriter and producer for TV, film and theater; and Mary Dana Hinton ’92, president of the College of Saint Benedict, who has dedicated her career to educational equity and access.