One College, One Asteroid

Our College is in a category of one when it comes to institutions of higher learning named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, and so is the asteroid formerly known as 2000 WP162, which was recently dubbed 23244 Lafayette by the International Astronomical Union.

The College honored the man for whom it is named in its own way — in two significant ways, actually — this year. At the 175th Commencement in May, the College welcomed the Marquis an alumnus, awarding him the honorary degree of Doctor of Public Service (posthumous). And it kicked off the academic year with a College-wide celebration marking the 253rd anniversary of his birth on Sept. 6, 1757.