International Academy graduation (1984)

May 1984

A group photograph of the 1984 International Academy Graduation of Springfield College. Dr. Mark A. Ehman, director of the International Academy sits sixth from the left with a beard. SC President Locklin sits in the center of the photograph, eighth from the left. Also, Dr. Kenneth A. Wall, director of the International Center, can be seen sitting next to President Locklin, ninth from the left. During the graduation ceremony, class valedictorian Annie Leun told fellow students that “the preparatory months (in the international academy) had been very valuable” to her. All 30 students who graduated in 1984 were accepted in American colleges and universities ranging from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Boston University to Michigan State and the University of San Francisco. The International Academy was created in 1983 to prepare international students for entrance into American institutions of higher education, the International Academy focused its efforts on its first years to receive students mainly from Hong Kong, given the excellent relations between President Locklin and the Hong Kong YMCA. Each year 150,000 students completed high school in Hong Kong. About 30,000 of them desired higher education, and Hong Kong’s only two universities at the time could only accommodate about 3,000 incoming freshmen each year. The Academy provided students an intensive year of instruction in English, mathematics, computer science, history, biology, physics, and chemistry. All subjects were geared to improving student’s English Language skills to take their College Board exams successfully (Springfield College Bulletin, 1980-1985). Dr. Wilbert E. Locklin (April 2, 1920 – March 4, 2006) was raised in Washington, D.C. He graduated from John Hopkins University in 1942. During World War II, he served on bomber crews and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. After his military service, Locklin returned to work at Johns Hopkins. In 1965, Locklin was named president of Springfield College, where he served for twenty years. He was responsible for raising funds and developing strategic plans for Babson Library, Cheney Dining Hall, Fuller Arts Center, Gulick Hall, the Physical Education Complex, Linkletter Natatorium, and the Towne Health Center, effectively doubling the campus physical plant. He also introduced new academic programs in business, physical therapy, and YMCA studies. Furthermore, he was the driving force in expanding the college's international scope through his development of programs in China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Saudi Arabia. Following his retirement in 1985, Locklin founded Locklin Management Services, which helped local nonprofit organizations with fundraising.