Paula Cunningham, former president of Lansing Community College and current president and chief executive officer of Capitol National Bank in Lansing, Mich., delivered the 2009 Alma College commencement address. Cunningham also received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree during the ceremony for 260 graduation candidates. Commencement took place April 18 in Cappaert Gymnasium in the Hogan Center at Alma College. A baccalaureate service preceded graduation in Dunning Memorial Chapel.
Belhaven College, Jackson, Miss.
The 127th commencement ceremony of Belhaven College was held May 9, at 10:30 am on campus at the Thalia Mara Hall. The speaker was Dr. Doris M. Brougham, LHD, LLD. Belhaven conferred on Dr. Brougham a Doctor of Christian Ministries degree.
Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, Iowa
Stephen Russell, Chair of the Department of Molecular Medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minn., was the keynote speaker for BVU’s 2009 commencement ceremony May 23 in the Siebens Fieldhouse. The Rev. Kenneth Meissner, BVU chaplain, presented the Baccalaureate address May 23 in Schaller Memorial Chapel.
Dr. Russell graduated from Edinburgh University Medical School, Scotland, in 1982 with distinctions in microbiology and surgery. He later earned his Ph. D. at the University of London. He held appointments at hospitals throughout England and Scotland before moving to the U.S. to join the Mayo Clinic. In addition to his role as Chair of the Department of Molecular Medicine Program, he is the Richard O. Jacobsen Professor of Molecular Medicine and serves as consultant to the Department of Hematology.
Carroll University, Waukesha, Wisc.
The commencement ceremony was held May 10 at Main Hall lawn. The keynote speaker was Timothy W. Sullivan, president, CEO and director of Bucyrus International, Inc.
Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Essa Kazim, the chairman of Borse Dubai and the Dubai Financial Market, delivered the commencement address and received an honorary degree May 10 on the Stewart Memorial Library Mall. Kazim, a 1985 graduate of Coe, began his career as a senior analyst in the Research and Statistics Department of the United Arab Emirates Central Bank in 1988. In 1993, he moved to the Dubai Department of Economic Development as director of planning and development. He was then appointed as director general of the Dubai Financial Market from 1999 through 2006. The baccalaureate speaker was Anna Carter Florence, who serves as the Peter Marshall Associate Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga. An ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Florence was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree at commencement.
Davidson College, Davidson, N.C.
In lieu of an outside speaker, Davidson College President Thomas W. Ross offered brief remarks to seniors as the highlight of commencement on May 17. The ceremony began with an academic procession across campus. Commissioning of ROTC students was held May 16, along with the baccalaureate service in Davidson College Presbyterian Church.
Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Fla.
The 46th commencement was held May 17 on the South Beach Field on campus. The speaker was Steve Forbes, chairman/CEO of Forbes and editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine. Honorary Degree recipients included Forbes (Doctor of Humane Letters); Howard Kennedy, Doctor of Humane Letters (Mr. Kennedy was the first African-American student to be accepted to Florida Presbyterian College, now Eckerd College; Jane Petro, Doctor of Science (Dr. Petro is a plastic surgeon and 1968 graduate of Florida Presbyterian College; and Tom West, Doctor of Humane Letters. Dr. West was the founding director of admissions for Florida Presbyterian College.
Grove City College, Grove City, Pa.
Speakers for the 2009 baccalaureate and commencement ceremonies on the Grove City College campus, May 15 and 16, included College Trustee and United States Circuit Judge for the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals the Hon. Alice M. Batchelder, who addressed approximately 564 graduates at 10 a.m. May 16 in an outdoor ceremony. Dr. Douglas Pratt offered the sermon to students at a baccalaureate ceremony on May 15. He is pastor of First Church in Bonita Springs, Fla., a congregation of nearly 2,000 members.
Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, Va.
The college held its commencement ceremony on May 1 on the campus lawn of Venable Hall. The keynote speaker was U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2008, and serves on the Senate’s Banking, Budget, Commerce, and Rules committees. Senator Warner was conferred with a Doctor of Laws degree. Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, president emeritus of The George Washington University will be given the Doctor of Humane Letters. The baccalaureate speaker, the Reverend Herman Hollerith IV, Bishop of the Diocese of Southern Virginia, was awarded the Doctor of Divinity degree.
Hanover College, Hanover, Ind.
Hanover College celebrated its 176th commencement, May 23, at The Point on campus. Graduation activities began mid-morning with the traditional baccalaureate service. The 200 members of the class of 2009 received diplomas during a mid-afternoon ceremony. James T. Morris, president of Pacers Sports & Entertainment and former executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme, was the commencement speaker. Sue DeWine, president of Hanover College, conferred upon Morris the honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters.
Hastings College, Hastings, Neb.
Dr. Thomas Osborne of Lincoln, Neb., a Hastings College graduate and member of the Hastings College Board of Trustees, returned to his alma mater to speak at the college’s 123rd Commencement, May 16, at the Osborne Family Sports Complex. In 2000, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska’s 3rd Congressional District and served six years. Osborne may be best known for his 25 years as head football coach for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers.
The following honorary degrees were presented: 2009 Hastings College Honorary Degrees in Education: Elizabeth Behrens, professor of mathematics and computer science, a Doctor of science; Dale Behrens, director of computer services, a Doctor of Science. Honorary degree in Higher Education: Dennis Krienert, vice president for financial affairs, treasurer of Hastings College Foundation, a Doctor of Business Administration. Honorary degree in Business: LeRoy Thom, honorary Hastings College trustee, Hastings businessman, a Doctor of Business Administration.
Illinois College, Jacksonville, Ill.
Lincoln historian Dr. Lucas E. Morel addressed the 175th graduating class of Illinois College on May 10. He is the author of the book Lincoln’s Sacred Effort: Defining Religion’s Role in American Self-Government and editor of Ralph Ellison and the Raft of Hope: A Political Companion to “Invisible Man.” He is currently the Garwood Visiting Research Fellow at the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University where he is working on the book Lincoln, Race and the Fragile American Republic. Illinois College conferred Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees upon its approximately 175 candidates for graduation during the ceremony on the historic upper quadrangle. The Doctor of Humane Letters degree was conferred on Dr. Morel during the ceremony, and posthumous honorary Bachelor of Arts degree upon Abraham Lincoln because of his deep ties to Illinois College, and Dr. Harvey Scott III for his service as a member of the Board of Trustees. Other honorary Bachelor of Arts degree recipients include trustees Susan Allen, Harmon Deal III, the Rev. John Kay, Patrick Mathis, Jean Coultas Statler and Robert Thomson III. The annual baccalaureate service was held. The service’s keynote address was given by the Rev. Laura Mariko Cheifetz, a program administrator at McCormick Theological Seminary.
King College, Bristol, Tenn.
King College celebrated spring commencement exercises May 2 on the campus Oval. King awarded diplomas to more than 300 students who have completed undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies degrees. The scheduled keynote speaker was Dr. Nicholas Wolterstorff. The Noah Porter Professor of Philosophical Theology at Yale University achieved emeritus status in 2002, after 53 years of learning and contribution to the field of philosophy. Wolterstorff has made notable contributions in the fields of epistemology, aesthetics, philosophy of art, and education, and has received numerous prestigious honors and awards, including the Kuyper Chair at the Free University of Amsterdam.
Lafayette College, Easton, Pa.
The174th Commencement was held May 23 on the campus Quad. The principal speaker was Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, who will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree. Lafayette will award honorary doctorates to three other distinguished leaders: Elliott J. Sussman, president and chief executive officer of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network was awarded an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree; Nechama Tec, Holocaust scholar and author, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree; Riley K. Temple, a principal in the Washington, D.C., strategic consulting firm Temple Strategies received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Temple is a member of Lafayette’s Class of 1971 and former vice-chair of the College’s Board of Trustees.
Lees-McRae College, Banner Elk, N.C.
The commencement ceremony was held May 23 on campus in the Williams Physical Education Center. Dr. David Bushman, president of Lees-McRae College was our commencement speaker. The Baccalaureate/Hooding/Pinning service was held on campus in the Hayes Auditorium on May 22.
Lyon College, Batesville, Ark.
The baccalaureate service was held May 8 in Brown Chapel on campus. The commencement ceremony was held May 9 in Couch Garden on campus.
The speaker was retiring Lyon College President Walter B. Roettger. Honorary degrees were awarded to David Itkin, retiring maestro of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and John David Mooney, public artist from Chicago.
Macalester College, St. Paul, Minn.
Tonderai Chikuhwa ’96, senior program officer in the United Nations Office for Children and Armed Conflict, was Macalester College’s 2009 commencement speaker. Commencement was held May 16 at the college. Chikuhwa advocates for children in such places as Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sri Lanka, and Colombia, and is working to implement a global mechanism to monitor and report on grave child rights violations in these and other conflict zones. In June, Chikuhwa will receive Macalester College’s Charles J. Turck Global Citizen Award, which recognizes an alumnus who has lived as a citizen of the world and advanced the cause of the internationalist spirit by providing inspirational leadership, impacting the international community and, promoting global understanding, peace and justice.
Maryville College, Maryville, Tenn.
Dave Ramsey, personal money management expert and host of the popular nationally syndicated radio and TV programs “The Dave Ramsey Show,” gave the commencement address to Maryville College’s Class of 2009 on May 17 and received an honorary Doctor of Finance degree from the 190-year-old institution. Drawing from Jeremiah 29:11, Ramsey addressed the 225 graduating seniors and their families with the theme, “Hope, Real Hope.”
Ramsey’s great-grandmother, Nita Eckles West, started the drama department at the college in 1899 and taught drama and speech for 42 years. To honor her years of dedicated service, members of the Ramsey and West families made a donation to the under-construction Civic Arts Center.
The Rev. Dr. S. Marc Sherrod, pastor of Bethel Church in Kingston, Tenn., was this year’s baccalaureate speaker. He is the father of graduating senior Hannah Sherrod and sophomore Jordan Sherrod. The baccalaureate ceremony also was held May 17.
Monmouth College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth College’s 152nd annual commencement was held May 17 on the college’s Wallace Hall Plaza. The address was given by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray H. LaHood, who was presented with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Muskingum College, New Concord, Ohio
The graduate commencement was held on campus May 7 in Brown Chapel. The keynote speaker was Robert A. Boardman, Muskingum College Class of 1969, retired senior vice president and general counsel, Navistar International Corporation. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. The baccalaureate service was held May 9 at the Recreation Center. The speaker was Frank G. Helman, president of the Otto and Fran Walter Foundation. He was given the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. The undergraduate commencement was May 9, at the Recreation Center. Keith Campbell, ’77, and Chairman of the Board, Mannington Mills, was the keynote speaker. He received the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
The University of the Ozarks, Clarksville, Ark.
Commencement was held May 16 on the Campus Mall. Curtis Millsap, a 1999 U of O graduate and owner and operator of Millsap Farm near Springfield, Mo., was the speaker. Millsap Farm is a diversified 20-acre family farm that emphasizes community-supported agriculture (CSA) enterprises, organic efforts, and stewardship practices that improve the health of the land.
Pikeville College, Pikeville, Ky.
The undergraduate commencement ceremony was held May 9, at the East Kentucky Expo Center. The commencement speaker was Harold H. “Hal” Smith, Pikeville College president (1997-2009). Thomas A. Musselman Sr., business leader, was awarded the honorary Humanitarian degree. The Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine had its commencement on May 9 in the East Kentucky Expo Center. The Medical School commencement speaker was Richard Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., the 17th Surgeon General of the United States (2002-2006). Dr. Carmona also received an honorary degree.
Rhodes College, Memphis, Tenn.
The baccalaureate service was held May 15, in the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Bellevue. The commencement ceremony was held May 16 at the Herbert F. Fisher Memorial Garden.
Schreiner University, Kerrville, Texas
Commencement was held May 9, at the Edington Center on the Schreiner campus. Dr. Richard Ekman, president of the Council of Independent Colleges, Washington, D.C., addressed the graduating class. The baccalaureate service was held earlier in the day, with the Rev. Dr. Laura S. Mendenhall as speaker. She is currently the president of Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Ga.
St. Andrews Presbyterian College, Laurinburg, N.C.
The baccalaureate service was held May 8 on campus at Harris Courts. The speaker was the Rev. Jim H. McKinnon Jr. The 112th Commencement ceremony was May 9 at DeTamble Terrace. Former N.C. Governor James Hunt spoke. Focused on early childhood development and the improvement of the quality of teaching in the United States, Hunt led the development of Smart Start, a nonprofit, public-private partnership that provides quality educational opportunities for children in each of the state’s 100 counties. Early childhood leaders from every state and several foreign countries have studied the success of this educational program. Hunt’s initiatives have also been recognized with the Innovations in American Government Award from the Ford Foundation and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Gov. Hunt received an honorary doctorate of law.
Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas
Two commencement exercises were held May 16. A total of 563 graduate and undergraduate students received their degrees. Commencement for students receiving master’s degrees in arts, teaching, accounting, and health care administration was held in Margarite B. Parker Chapel. The speaker for this ceremony was Mark Larson, who received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1997 and master’s degrees in the education field in 1998 and 2002. He is the founder of KIPP Aspire Academy in San Antonio, a free, college preparatory school for disadvantaged middle school students. A total of 77 graduate students were candidates for master’s degrees.
The ceremony for 486 undergraduates was held on the evening of May 16, in Laurie Auditorium. The speaker was Chloë Rae Edmonson, a drama major with a minor in English, who is among the graduates. In addition, John R. Brazil, president of Trinity University who has announced his intention to retire in January 2010, received Trinity’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, for his leadership during the 10 years of his presidency.
University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Okla.
Journalist and Asia observer Orville Schell spoke at TU’s commencement ceremony May 9, at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Schell is best known as one of the country’s most well-informed and thoughtful observers on China. He also has been a ship hand, a war correspondent in Indochina, a rancher, a journalist reporting for major magazines. He has been a contributor on China for PBS, NBC, and CBS.
Warren Wilson College, Asheville, N.C.
Ray Anderson, founder and chairman of Interface, Inc., a manufacturer of modular carpet, delivered the commencement address May 16 on Sunderland Lawn. Anderson has been called “the greenest chief executive in America.” Formerly Interface’s CEO, Anderson currently gives about 100 speeches a year, educating executives of other companies — including Wal-Mart and Boeing — about sustainability.
Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah
Commencement will be held May 30 at the E Center in West Valley, Utah. The speaker will be John Wood, former Microsoft executive and founder of Room to Read. Honorary Degrees went to John Wood (Doctor of Humane Letters); and Katherine W. Dumke, Ezekiel R. Dumke Jr., and Verl R. Topham, (Doctors of Public Service).
Wilson College, Chambersburg, Pa.
The baccalaureate was held May 17 at the Alumnae Chapel, Thompson Hall. The commencement ceremony was held in the afternoon of May 17, on the Main Green.
The commencement speaker was Gretchen Van Ness, class of 1980. She is a staff attorney with the U. S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, Boston, Mass. Previously, she had a private law practice, and was honored by Syracuse University College of Law in 2001 as attorney of the year, for her extraordinary solo career. In 2002, Boston Magazine recognized her as one of the best employment lawyers in Boston. She has argued precedent-setting cases at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the state and federal appeals courts.
The College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio
Former Congressman Ralph Regula, retired Cleveland Plain Dealer Editor Doug Clifton, and social justice activist Alice Greenfield McGrath offered remarks to the Class of 2009 and received honorary degrees for their contributions to higher education when The College of Wooster celebrated its 139th commencement on May 11. An estimated 400 undergraduates received their degrees.
Regula, who received the degree Honorary Doctor of Laws, served with distinction in the United States House of Representatives for 36 years. Prior to that, he was a member of the Ohio House and Senate from 1965-1972. Clifton, who also received the degree Honorary Doctor of Laws, was editor of The Plain Dealer from 1999 until his retirement in 2007. During his 37-year career in journalism, he fought to defend the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of speech and freedom of the press. In 2005, under his leadership, The Plain Dealer won its first Pulitzer Prize in more than 50 years, and in 2007 he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Cleveland chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. McGrath, who received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, became an activist for social justice early in life, first as a supporter of the Lincoln Brigades during the Spanish Civil War and then as a lobbyist against Japanese-American internment during World War II.
