PORTLAND — On May 2, the largest graduating class in the history of the University of New England received degrees at the university’s 181st commencement ceremony at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland. UNE conferred 1,747 degrees and certificates in total, granting 524 undergraduate degrees, 916 master’s degrees and certificates and 307 doctorates to members of the class of 2016.

UNE President Danielle Ripich, who has overseen an increase of enrollment from 4,000 to more than 10,000 students, views commencement as a fitting occasion to honor growth.

“It is not just our numbers that have grown,” she said. “The university has grown tremendously in its offerings to our students. We’ve added three new colleges, numerous buildings, our own research island and a new, international campus in Tangier, Morocco. The experiences that the growth of UNE has afforded to its graduates have allowed them, in turn, to grow academically, professionally and personally and have led them down the path to this celebratory day of graduation.”