Our Commencement Ceremonies
are among the most important traditions in the life of our campus
community—an exciting milestone for our soon-to-be Marlin alumni and all
who have supported them along the way. And this year, we will make
institutional history by graduating our first class from Virginia
Wesleyan University.
Our 2018 Commencement Ceremonies will begin
Friday, May 18, with the Baccalaureate Service. Baccalaureate is a
significant part of Commencement weekend—a time to thank God, celebrate
our graduates and send them into the future with a blessing. Serving as
the Baccalaureate speaker will be the Rev. Dr. Karla M. Kincannon,
a 1976 Virginia Wesleyan graduate and director of spiritual formation
at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Alexandria, Virginia. A special
feature of the ceremony is the Presentation of Tassels, at which time
each graduating senior will be invited to come forward to accept his or
her academic tassel for use during the Commencement Ceremony.
Guests
of all faiths and religious beliefs are invited to attend. The service
will begin at 6:00 p.m. at Haygood United Methodist Church (4713 Haygood
Rd., Virginia Beach). Dr. Bryson Mortensen will lead the Virginia
Wesleyan Chorale in a pre-service concert at 5:30 p.m. in the church
sanctuary.
The Commencement Ceremony will take place on campus on
Saturday, May 19, at 11:00 a.m. Approximately 300 graduates will march
onto University Commons, where Provost Timothy O’Rourke and I will
proudly confer Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of
Social Work degrees to our students. Delivering the Commencement address
to the Class of 2018 will be First Lady of Virginia Pamela Northam.
An educator and environmentalist, Mrs. Northam has taken a leading role
in Hampton Roads and Virginia to protect water quality, improve the
health of the Chesapeake Bay, and ensure the Commonwealth’s natural
beauty is preserved for generations to come. It will be an honor to
conclude this academic year with an address by such a distinguished
advocate for the natural world.
The University will recognize
Mrs. Northam and Rev. Kincannon with honorary degrees, and four awards
will be presented to distinguished VWU faculty—the Samuel Nelson Gray
Distinguished Teaching Award, the Frank and Jane P. Batten Distinguished
Scholar Award, the Service and Community Engagement Award, and the
United Methodist Church General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
Exemplary Teacher Award.
A reminder that no tickets will be
required for the
the 2018 Commencement Ceremony, provided it takes place as scheduled
outdoors on the University Commons. In the event of severe weather, the
ceremony will be moved indoors to the Convocation Hall inside the Jane
P. Batten Student Center. A decision regarding the weather and location
will be made the Wednesday preceding Commencement, and all students,
faculty, and staff will be notified accordingly.
Both the Baccalaureate Service and the Commencement Ceremony
will be live streamed, and Commencement will also be simulcast in Boyd
Dining Center during the ceremony. A reception for graduates, family,
and friends will be held in Boyd Dining Center following the ceremony,
and the Army ROTC Commissioning Ceremony will take place in Hofheimer
Library at 1 p.m. For more information, visit www.vwu.edu/commencement.
I
look forward to these special events and wish all of our graduates the very
best as they embark on new careers or continue their education.
Congratulations to the Class of 2018!
