Congratulations to the Class of 2016! On Saturday, May 14, Virginia Wesleyan College will hold its 47th Commencement Ceremony when approximately 325 graduates will march into the Jane P. Batten Student Center to receive degrees -- Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or Bachelor of Social Work. It will be a day to celebrate this major accomplishment and to wish them well as they begin the next phase of their lives.
Delivering the Commencement address to the VWC Class of 2016 is Director of the Peace Corps and global public health leader Carrie Hessler-Radelet. She will be introduced by the first VWC student to graduate as part of Virginia Wesleyan's Peace Corps Prep Program, Mindy Bertram ’16, who begins her own Peace Corps service in Cameroon on May 24.
We will recognize Ms. Hessler-Radelet and Virginia Wesleyan College Trustee Emeritus George Y. Birdsong with honorary degrees, and present four awards to distinguished VWC 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 UMC General Board of Higher Education and Ministry 2016 Exemplary Teacher Award. The event will be live streamed at portal.stretchinternet.com/
As I shared on Monday, an Army ROTC Commissioning Ceremony will take place at Boyd Dining Center Plaza at 1 p.m. following Commencement. In the event of inclement weather, the Commissioning Ceremony will take place in Monumental Chapel.
Our Commencement Ceremony will be preceded by a Baccalaureate Service on Friday, May 13, at 7:30 p.m. at Heritage United Methodist Church. The Rev. F.H. "Hank" Teague, Pastor of Grace United Methodist Church, will serve as guest speaker, and a pre-service concert will be performed by VWC’s SOAR Worship Team and Gospel Choir at 7:10 p.m.
For more information, visit www.vwc.edu/commencement.
I wish all of our graduates the very best as they embark on new careers or continue their education.
