Susan Colgate Cleveland Medal for Distinguished Service

The Susan Colgate Cleveland Medal for Distinguished Service is the college’s highest honor. It is presented to individuals who exemplify Susan Colgate Cleveland’s attributes, ensuring that her work, dedication and influence will be remembered by future generations.

Patrick Anderson

Professor of Humanities, School of Arts & Sciences
Gibney Distinguished Professor

Patrick Anderson leaves Colby-Sawyer after more than 40 years of dedicated service to the college and devotion to his students. As an integral component of the college’s School of Arts & Sciences, Patrick taught courses in American studies, American literature, Native American culture and American and international film, for which he was extremely passionate.

Patrick joined the college’s faculty in 1977, and quickly earned both the respect of his peers and admiration of his students. His high standards challenged students to exceed expectations, and he often instilled in those who took his classes a new love for film and literature. Patrick was a strong supporter to students in English and Communication Studies majors, as well as American Studies, Film Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies minors.

Patrick earned the Jack Jensen Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1998, and in 2004, was selected as a George Washington Distinguished Professor/Scholar by the New Hampshire Society of the Cincinnati. He was honored with a Gibney Distinguished Professorship in 2007, in which he developed and implemented a public speaking initiative at the college, and was presented the college’s Gown Award during in 2016 for his extraordinary work and contributions in the New London area.

During his 43-year tenure at Colby-Sawyer, Patrick completed sabbatical leaves that took him to Central and South America to study Maya and Inca culture, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska to study the indigenous cultures of those regions, New Zealand to study Maori culture, and to several Moundbuilder sites in the Midwestern U.S. to study the indigenous people who constructed them. He’s also traveled the state for more than 25 years giving presentations as part of the New Hampshire Humanities Council’s "Humanities on the Go" series, and is also the author of, In Its Own Image: The Cinematic Vision of Hollywood, published in 1978.

Patrick earned his A.B. from the University of Notre Dame, as well as an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. He currently resides in South Sutton, N.H., with his wife, Betsy.

For more information on Commencement 2020, visit colby-sawyer.edu/commencement.