2023 Commencement Program

THE ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-FIRST COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY

Honoring the Graduates of the Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences; the Palmer College of Professional Studies; and Shakespeare and Performance

MAY 20, 2023

BARBARA KARES PAGE TERRACE

9 O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING

DR. PAMELA R. FOX University President, presiding

ACADEMIC PROCESSIONAL Faculty, Administration

Pomp and Circumstance, No. 1

By Sir Edward Elgar

PRESENTING THE COLORS

The Star-Spangled Banner

2023 Graduates

WELCOME President Fox

INVOKING THE OCCASION

HONORS AND AWARDS

Dr. Katherine Low University Chaplain

Dr. Sue Stevens, Interim Dean of Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences

The Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences Nancy Morse Evans Leadership Award

The Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences Linda Seestedt-Stanford Leadership Award

The Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences MHA Graduate of the Year Award

The Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences MSPA Student of the Year Award

Dr. Paul Menzer, Vice President and Dean, Gold College of Arts and Sciences

The Shakespeare and Performance Ariel Award for Outstanding Program Service and Leadership

The Shakespeare and Performance Andrew Gurr Award for Outstanding Thesis

The Shakespeare and Performance Ampersand Award

Mr. Charles W. “Will” Webb, Senior Vice President and Dean, Palmer College of Professional Studies

The School of Education Outstanding Graduate Student Award

The Susan Nolan Palmer Outstanding MBA Apex Project Award

Mrs. Gabrielle McCree ’83, Board of Trustees Chair

Special Recognition

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS President Fox

HOODING, PINNING, AND CONFERRING OF DEGREES IN COURSE President Fox

Dr. Stevens

Dr. Allison Ellington, Occupational Therapy Program Director

Dr. Kim Nine, Associate Dean and Director of the School of Public Health

Doctor of Occupational Therapy

Dr. Catherine Turner, Physical Therapy Program Director

Dr. Nine

Doctor of Physical Therapy

Dr. Kent Diduch, Physician Assistant Program Director

Dr. Nine

Master of Science in Physician Assistant

Dr. Nine

Dr. Janice Adams, Interim Associate Dean and Director, School of Nursing

Master of Healthcare Administration

Dr. Pamela Dressler, RN to BSN Program Director

Dr. Adams

Master of Science in Nursing

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Dr. Menzer

Ms. Doreen Bechtol, Co-Director, Shakespeare and Performance

Master of Fine Arts in Shakespeare and Performance

Dr. Matt Davies, Co-Director, Shakespeare and Performance

Master of Letters in Shakespeare and Performance

Mr. Webb

Dr. Pamela Bailey, Associate Dean/Director, School of Education

Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis

Master of Science in Higher Education

Master of Education

Master of Arts in Teaching

Ms. Cathy “Cat” Ferris McPherson, Associate Dean/Director, School of Business

Master of Business Administration

ALUMNI INVESTITURE Sheridan A. Lawrence PT, DPT

CLOSING REMARKS President Fox

A HYMN FOR MARY BALDWIN Amber Randall Ocasio ’14, MS ’22

Melody: Scandinavian Folk Song

Lyrics by Professor Emeritus of Music Gordon C. Page

1. To these halls where Wisdom reckons,

To these hills where Beauty dwells; Where the search for Learning beckons, Where its tumult never quells.

2. Here we bring our childhood visions Stirring in the quest for Truth; Here we forge the mind’s decisions Tempered by the faith of youth.

3. Friendship, honor, sorrow, laughter Are the ways by which we learn, Knowledge first, then Wisdom after, Love that seeks not for return.

4. When we reach the last tomorrow Of our days in class, on field, We will know how we must borrow, Mary Baldwin, from thy yield.

PARTING BLESSING Dr. Low

ACADEMIC RECESSIONAL

Crown Imperial March

By William Walton

Matt Althaver

Kaneesha Ballard

Anna Barrett

Cristina Bashara

Megan Madeline Berry

Melanie Brooks

Devon Brzezynski

Leah Cate

Tiffany Erin Chu

Carrie Clawson

Sarah Commons

Marisa Anna Elaine Craig

Class of 2023

DOCTOR OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Patti L. Drescher

Hayley Fox

Morgan Gibson

Catherine Hayley Gummer

Harleigh Hanselman

Tracie Newby Hawkins

Madison Ashleigh Hogge

Sarah Noel Ingram

Breanna Judy

Rebecca Lauren Kime

Maia Lemma

Jessica McKeever

DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY

Kelsey Inez Mooring

Marceline Ndahayo

Kaylee Morgan Nichols

Madison Kellee Owens

Lori Ann Potter

Rebecca Ann Sennett

Julia Sheffer

Jacqueline Stevenson

Caitlin EmmaLee Vance

Michelle Weddle

Sharon Miller Wright

Brenna Alewynse

Christopher Bendit

Nicole Blackburn

Zachary Canova

Megan Coppola

Paolo Cruz

Ryan Dawson

✩ Brian Espinoza

Elizabeth Firth

Raven A. Giles

Kierra Henderson

Ariana Sloane Johnson

Maliha Khan

Camille Kreutzinger

✩ Katherine Kuehn

Nancy Kuhn

Alyssa Linterman

Megan McNally

Tony Nguyen

Daniel Quillen

Audrey Roach

Kwesi Azikiwe Smith

✩

Lauren M. Strohman

Bridget Swift

Mitchell Terry

Andrew Uliana

Molly Walter

Matthew Weber

Raphael Yu

Vincent Zhong

Elaine Zhu

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT

Natalie Yesenia Arias

Noralee Beecroft

✩ Drew Thomas Bowen

✩ Brittany Brovey

Lilly Chawla

Sehri Choi

Holly Coryell

✩ Matthew J. Dulan

Megan Enos

Deborah Feng

Sophia Frohberg

Evan Daniel Gonzalez

Petria Laura Idita

Caroline Jomphe

Richelle Lackey

Courtney Paige Lemert

Cristopher “Cal” Lockley

Brianna Claire Lombardi

Mary Mecca

Dayoung Moon

Taylor Jade Moo-Young

Travis David Morgan

Kelly Murphy

Christina O'Connor

Aesha Parikh

Kayla Carol Patnode

Estrella Pedroza

Laura Pittaluga

Cole Reynolds

Mariagracia Rojas

Richard Thomas Skillen

Mayumi Smitka

Dat Vo

Madison Joyce Waterman

Mindy Wei

Sara Wilson

Kathleen Winkert

MASTER OF HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATION

Emily Paige Bailey

Cheyenne Batton

Bradley Dressler

Kendra R. Ferrell

Cecilia Helena Flanagan

Ashley R. Hinton

Elynn Denise Lee

Taleisha G. Seward

Holly Jean Sobczak

Sarah Sotherden

✩ McKenzie Spencer

Amanda Traynham Wilson

Abraham Sukyoung Yoon

Kelsey Young

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NURSING

Chalona Kelly Tomlin

Amanda Traynham Wilson

MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN SHAKESPEARE AND PERFORMANCE

George Durfee III

Chase Fowler

Kara Hankard

Micaela Barrett Harmon

Beth Susan Harris

Kelsey Harrison

Christopher Johnston

Andrew Steven Knight

Rachel Louis

Dylan Thomas Mabe

Madison Mattfield-Mayberry

William Cole Metz

Kailey Potter

Rosemary Richards

Madison Rudolph

Elizabeth Caitlin Somerville

Katelyn Spurgin

Ariel Tatum

Cameron Taylor

Keith Andrew Taylor

James Warren

Jordan Willis

MASTER OF LETTERS IN SHAKESPEARE AND PERFORMANCE

Eli Cronin

Madison Ariel Ford

Morgan Rose Ford

Kathleen Judith Graham

Mikaela Rae Hanrahan

Genevieve Henderson

Paige Hilton

Adam Hobbs

Fawzia Mariam Istrabadi

Jacob Laitinen

Allison Lyne

Caroline Shea Lyons

Molly Patrick Martinez-Collins

Ronan Melomo

Peyton Giles Mitchell

Christopher Niesner

Shawn Passero

Hailey Lynne Pearce

Caitlyn Redman

Brianna Roche

Petra Nicole Shearer

Alaina Smith Shefelton

Peter Sheldon

Fallon Smyl

Riley Maria Tate

Johnny Williams III

MASTER OF SCIENCE — APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS

Katherine Adams

Jaylen Anthony Allen

Catherine Hamilton Altizer

Gina-Marie An

Emily Arrington

Lauren Bahr

Katlyn E. Baines

Genesis Berrios

Jordan Faith Billingsley

Amaria Christina Stewart Boyett

Zachary Briggs

Asia Mikyah Carey

Jennifer D’Agostino

Erica L. Denzau

Faith Marie Derosa

Jacob Daniel Desruisseaux

Kayla Nicole Divers

Alison Dunleavy

Diana Lee Filipi

Anna Lynn Robertson Finney

Tyler Fleming

Hannah Williams Fowler

Juliane Friedrichs

Rose Froelich

Ashley Nichole Greene

Macie Rebekah Headley

Jessica Miranda Hibbs

Julie Huff

Hayley Grace Hughes

Tricia Lynn Janiszewski

Anna Gammon Jarvis

Alexandra Hope Jensen

Stacy Klauman

Rachel S. Krempa

Alexandra Layman

Tiffany Locke

Johanna Arlene Manduley

Rachel Moffett McAllister

Tara Najdul

Kristin Nuñez

Sharina Mai Olson

Keegan Palmertree

Katrina Pangle

Olivia Pastucka

Emily V. Pehoski

Tyana Qiara Robinson

Emanuel Rodriguez Flores

Precious KeNora Rowe

Hassan Akmal Safdar-Ali

Krista Schandel

Suede Sohooli

Thanh Binh Tran

Brittany Nicole Trump

Maura Turner

Kelly Spahr White

Jacquelyn Wycoff

Maria Fernanda Ybarra Estrada

Maya Zeller

MASTER OF SCIENCE — HIGHER EDUCATION

Carly Fagan

Marlon Deon Johnson

Catherine Lillian Lowell Kathy Nguyen

Kylie A. Thurber

Kristen A. Balser

Tyler Barciszewski

Mindy Berry

Anna Lia Brandon

Katelin Campbell

Myracle Shaira Cash

Glenn Copenhaver

Jessica L. Davis

MASTER OF EDUCATION

Carrie Dietz

Gina Doughty

Ryan E. Dunagan

Kelly Ryan Hicks

Shirloyn J. Holmes

Samantha Hughes

Janet Starr Lee

Barbara Lewis

MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING

Tiara Luyanda

Ronald Lee Marsh

Emily Messenger

Takilyah Kiara Starke

Kaitlyn Elizabeth Summers

Heather Vanderweide

Samantha Mary Hannah Wheeler

Makenzie Alston

Amanda Williams Beppler

Orianah Clover Blodgett

Jessica Blosser

Julexus Cappell Hyman

Samantha Craft

Emily G. Cullinan

Cheyenne Dollarhite

Elizabeth Claire Gerloff

Lauren Nicole Lawson

David Lotterhos

Elena Loughrey

Annalee Danielle Lowman

Katie LaRae Matherlee

Katherine Grace Mulokey

Olivia Ortega

Doris Valeria Simpson

Laura Stedman

Betsy Ulrope

Mary Margaret Watkins

Destiny Sierra Woodall

Emily Elizabeth Zwilling

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Hira Barton

Bradley Dressler

Claire Edelman

Guillermo Jose Fernandez

Melissa A. Galvin

Brady Goode

Martina O. Gyamfua

Kayla Shefond Harris

Blake Herendeen

Hayley Karicofe-Manning

Lacy Kegley

Elynn Denise Lee

Albert Paul McClintock II

Zaria Deshae Moore

Erik Recke

Isabelle Lily Ross

Hannah Marie Savidge

✩ McKenzie Spencer

Sabena Thompson

Marcheta L. Turner

Karen Marie Ventura

Gabrielle Wales

Abraham Sukyoung Yoon

BACHELOR

◊ ≈ † Abigail Adams

magna cum laude

Tabarek Al Samaraee

Rachel Allen

◊ ≈ Louis Altman

magna cum laude

Marisol Aranda

cum laude

◊ Graceon Lee Armstrong

summa cum laude

◊ Anna Arneson

summa cum laude

Sergio Antion Arroyo Jr.

summa cum laude

Emily Ashbrook

Minga Ashby

Savannah Aversa

Sonya Ayala-Correa

magna cum laude

◊ Samantha Freeze Bronk

summa cum laude

Maggie Brookman

Aaliyah Corrine Brown

✳ Abria Brown

Anna Brown

cum laude

Lillian Grace Brown

cum laude

✩ Haley E. Brown

✩ † Shanya N. Brown

Jaliyah Nicole Bryant

Taylar A. Bryant

✳ Allison Budd

Hannah Buren

Keandra Burnell

Asia Burton

Zohaib Akram Aziz Butt

✳ China Callaway

◊

Alexis Barba

Kevin John Barber

✳

RoSonya Barbour

Cecelia Barnett

cum laude

Geddy P. Bartosch

Samantha Baxter

◊ † Adele Lorine Beaucicot

Lakeje Esayas Bekuretsion

Ayanna Janée Bell

Rachel Berry

Maryssa L. Beyer

cum laude

◊ Madelyn Bickford

magna cum laude

Annika Michelle Bishop

✳ Nicole Victoria Blackburn

cum laude

Brooke Ivy Boatner

Jacob Bogdonoff

cum laude

† Tymaya Dk Bonner

Jessica Borda

Hannah R. Borgemenke

Sabrina Borgstrom

cum laude

◊ Hildegard Botkin

magna cum laude

Sydney Elise Bowler

Keysi Evelyn Brito Gonzalez

Cara Britt

✩ Kaitlyn Brockman

Estefani Cardoso-Garnica

◊ † Ashlynn Danielle Carter

† Atlas Carter

cum laude

✩ Dazaé Rajore Carter

◊ ✳ Sara Elizabeth Catterton

summa cum laude

Mason Cave

Jessica Chacon

◊ ‡ Robin Chandler

Precious Charity

Toney R. Charles Jr.

Triara Italia Chavis

† Colby Cheatham

summa cum laude

✩ Serena Nicole Chew

✩ Samantha Childs

Rachel Christian

Ryian Claud

✩ Thomas Coates

Adrienne Cobbs

Ave' Mariah Nichole Cooper

‡ Lindsey Craft

† Kyle Alexander Creamer

magna cum laude

† Alexis Crouse

◊

≈ Meagan Rose Cuomo

summa cum laude

Jared Stewart Curling

✳ Shamesha J. Custer

Skylar Czerwinski

cum laude

OF ARTS, BACHELOR OF SCIENCE, BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING, AND BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK

Rhita Abigail Daniel

cum laude

Caleb Michael Davis

Hannah Davis

✩ Lillyana Davis

Mary Breanna Davis

cum laude

Dixie Marie Day

◊ ✳ Alexis Nicole Dearmon

magna cum laude

✩ Christian Del Hoyo

Faith Marie Derosa

✩ Danielle Claire DeVere

† Katelyn G. Diehl

✳ Zarrah Dundes

cum laude

Marilyn Dupont

≈

‡

Gwendolyn Elverson

magna cum laude

Lisa Estep

Addison Eubank

cum laude

Alicia Lynn Fairbrothers

✳ Kryslyn Fehr

Piper Fehr

Brittany Lynette Finney

◊ † Anna Fisher

magna cum laude

✩ Dominic Fleming

Chasity Monique Ford

✩ Jenifer Lillian Ford

Georgia Anne Foster

Alexis Trena Franklin

◊ Sophia Frey

magna cum laude

◊ Stephanie Adkins Funtila

summa cum laude

Natalie M. Galiano

ZyAia Gallo

Menieka Kline Garber

Leia Gardner

magna cum laude

DeShinta Gary

Aliyah Gause

Kaitlynn Michelle George

cum laude

◊ Alana Gill

summa cum laude

✳ Mo Atlee Glennie

Hayley Gomez

Allison Michelle Gonzalez

cum laude

✩ Austin Goodyear

Kendra Denise Green

✩ Chloe Gretsky

◊ † Samantha Grimsley

summa cum laude

◊ † Sara Gum

summa cum laude

Robert Hailes

Calisa D. Hardy

LeAnne R. Harlow

Alexie Danielle Harmon

Catelyn Harper

Zakira Harris

✳ Amber Nicole Hartless

cum laude

✩ Talford DeMario Hayden

Kaitlyn Marie Hayes

summa cum laude

Hannah Rae Heath

cum laude

◊ † Codie Heilig

◊ ≈ Josh Henson

summa cum laude

Ciara L. Hernandez

† Christian Bladimir Herrera

summa cum laude

Courtney Hicks

summa cum laude

Colby Higgs

magna cum laude

Anita Faith Hiner

cum laude

Kolby Marie Hiner

Desiree S. Horton

† Szilvia Elizabeth Horvath

Riley Howell

Allyn Huggins

◊ Aleria Hull

magna cum laude

Madison Claire Hite Hummer

✳ Jessica Lauren Hussell

Talliscia C. Irby

✳ Nadia Zainab Jalloh

Leigh Jeffers

magna cum laude

Denny Jimenez

✳ Kristen Jimenez-Diaz

✩ Frances S. Johnson

† Meri-Lynn Kahealani Johnson

✳ Constance Jones-Hicks

Mary Kathryn Jordan

Defne “Dede” Kahraman

≈ † Yasmeen Kallash-Kyler

magna cum laude

Caston Saran Kamara

Skye Brook Kark

Tess Kastner

Monika Michelle Kedzierski

cum laude

✳ Jana Johnson Keen

summa cum laude

◊ ‡ Catherine Kennedy

Noah Michael Kessler

cum laude

Zachery King

◊ ✳ Casey Kirk

◊

Tyrell K. Knight

≈ † Heather Korzun

summa cum laude

Lauren Kossin

McKenzie Kubicki

◊ ‡ Angela Lamonds

† Avery Lamprecht

Molly Ann Landes

◊ Graceann Alexandra Lawhorne

summa cum laude

Adam Layer

Katheryn Leigh-Manuell

Destiny Levister

Connor Lindhjem

Tristen Logue

Samantha Manfre

Sarah Manor

magna cum laude

Owen Marshall

cum laude

✳ Stevie Marshall

cum laude

† Nadia Martin

cum laude

† Cameron Matthews

Hailey Mays

◊ Ginger Daile McCormick

Moran Leigh McDowell

† Elizabeth McGlaughlin

summa cum laude

Merry Messina

Lindsey Metz

Kleopatra Monique Millbrook

Ethan S. Mills

Leah Mills

Olivia Modlin

Sara Michelle Moore

cum laude

Sophia Louise Newman

Abigail C. Newton

Amanda Nichols

◊ Suzanne Fallon Noto

summa cum laude

Monica Ordonez

◊ ‡ Cara Leigh Owens

Emma Pack

magna cum laude

Brandi Nicole Pannell

Brianna Monet Parker

◊ Elizabeth Pellegrino

magna cum laude

Elizabeth Persinger

† Victoria Alexis Peterson

cum laude

Lauren Elizabeth Phillips

Aneesa Pickett

Matthew Plotner

✩ Lindsey Poe

Breanna Lynn Priester

✳ Charles Propst

◊ ✳ Rosa Quintanilla

◊ Abigail Ramey-Polifka

cum laude

Brittany Ramsey

◊ ‡ Jordan Nicole Raynes

Alexandra N. Rebeor

Christian Reid

Yaritza Resendiz-Hernandez

✳ Laura Renee Reubush

Maya Reyes

Donovan Richardson

Monika Riley

summa cum laude

◊ Naomi Leigh Ritchie

summa cum laude

Sandra Kaitlyn Rivers

cum laude

✩ Lemuel Devon Robertson

◊ ✳ Ashley Nicole Robinson

cum laude

Alexia Rock

Isabella A. Rodriguez

≈ Courtney Rosenstadt

◊

✳ Jamie S. Moore

magna cum laude

Coral Arianna Moret

cum laude

Laurentia D. Moscon

Amber Rene Mouton

summa cum laude

Jasmine Myers

◊ ‡ Jennifer Myers

Linzee Myers

Stephanie Myers

cum laude

Tamika Clements Royal

Gavin Carter Rush

cum laude

Iraugustina Benthall Sampson

cum laude

† Zemariah N. Sanders

Steven Santiago

✳ Elizabeth “Lollie” Saria

Cat Schechter

summa cum laude

◊

June E. Schlereth

cum laude

† Abigail Schmitt

cum laude

Jamie L. Scott

Thristian Blair Scott

Colby Blair Seamons

Maximilian Sebolt

† Kaley Nicole Seldomridge

cum laude

Christopher Lucas Sheridan

Lauren Shoemaker

summa cum laude

Kyle Showalter

cum laude

Caleb Simmons

summa cum laude

Prisca Simon

Tralani Ericka Simpson

✩ Briana Slayton Camden

† Jada Nikira Smith

Kensley Smith

◊ ‡ Makenna Paige Smith

✳ Shalamar Smith

Rebekah Snead

Kemper Elise Snyder

† Jamie Solis

cum laude

Lisa Spencer

summa cum laude

Samara Nicole St Clair

Harley Breann Steinruck

✳ Raven Stewart

cum laude

Shannon Denise Stinnette

Heather Nicole Stokes

summa cum laude

Amie Virginia Stoll

cum laude

✳ Jennifer Strain

◊ † Sophie Alexandra Sulesky

summa cum laude

Olivia Sundman

† Rahyana Simone Talley

Julie Ann Taylor

◊ ‡ Douglas Thacker

Donetta Jamela Thomas

Arin Thompson

✳ Dabnie Thompson

◊ Jacob Martin Traver

◊

Savanna Ember Underwood

magna cum laude

✩ Shaion Scott Ury

Diana Valenzuelaik

Hannah Varner

Kathryn Vasil

Debbie T. Vasquez Gomez

Sydney Joelle Velandria

Blaize Velvin

Don Wagner

✳ Jamie Walker

Shadae Andrea Walker

✩ Stephanie Marquart Wallace

Rachel Ware

† Sara Juliet Wash

cum laude

✳ Falon Rain Washington

Jordan Wattis

Cecil James Watts, Jr.

Brandy Waybright

✩ Michael Weakley

✩ Laryn Weeks

◊

✳ Linda West

summa cum laude

Jennifer Hunt Whedbee

Melissa Wheeler

cum laude

† Anyka Wilkin

cum laude

Cindy J. Williams

cum laude

DeAnna Williams

Bri’anah Willis

magna cum laude

Melissa Wills

✩ Jacob D. Wine

Sara Wisher

Ciara Wolfe

Ambrosia Ariana Vivian Woliver

Gregory Willie-Nicholas Woodard

† Alexandra Mamie Wright

cum laude

✳ Kelsi Wright

† Simone L. Wright

Morgan Young

Erin Yushchak

Alisson Nicholl Zarco

◊ † Zachary Zintak

summa cum laude

≈ Honors Degree

◊ Distinction in Major

† Bachelor of Science

‡ Bachelor of Science in Nursing

✳ Bachelor of Social Work

✩ Walking Only

Please note the following change: Dr. Brenci Patiño, Professor of Spanish, will serve as Associate Marshal for the 2023 ceremonies.

THE ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-FIRST COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY

Honoring the Baccalaureate Graduates of the Class of 2023

MAY 21, 2023

BARBARA KARES PAGE TERRACE

9 O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING

DR. PAMELA R. FOX University President, presiding

ACADEMIC PROCESSIONAL Faculty, Administration

Pomp and Circumstance, No. 1

By Sir Edward Elgar

PRESENTING THE COLORS

The Star-Spangled Banner

2023 Graduates

WELCOME President Fox

INVOKING THE OCCASION Dr. Katherine Low University

READING FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE

Proverbs 4: 4-9

A BACCALAUREATE LITANY

FOR OUR GRADUATES

Chaplain

Jaliyah Bryant ’23

Senior Class Vice President

Adele Beaucicot ’23

Senior Class President

Inspired by a litany created by Dr. Thomas H. Grafton, professor of sociology 1933–71

Adele Beaucicot: Standing on the precipice of this day, where we can look back upon the way we have come and look ahead to where we shall go, we honor our Holy Guide who has brought us to this place.

2023 Graduates: (Response) We linger on the heights of this day with God’s blessing.

Adele Beaucicot: Our loved ones have climbed here with us, helping us navigate challenging terrain. From our familiar environs and accustomed tasks into unfamiliar situations demanding masterful performance, they continue to accompany us.

Friends and Family Members: (Response) We linger on the heights of this day with God’s blessing.

Adele Beaucicot: Our leaders have challenged us, commended us to standards of excellence, and believed in us so that we may turn our tassels with enough courage in ourselves to meet the world’s tallest peaks.

Administration, Faculty, and Staff: (Response) We linger on the heights of this day with God’s blessing.

Adele Beaucicot: Through everything — life and death, success and failure, mist and clear shining, may holiness continue to light our pathways. Sharing this moment with tiptoe expectancy — alive, grateful, and whole — with all who have come before us, we will not forget our mountaintop experience.

2023 Graduates: (Response) We linger on the heights of this day, on the hills of Mary Baldwin, with God’s blessing now and forever. Amen.

HONORS AND AWARDS

Dr. Tynisha Willingham, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer

The Senior Honors and Phi Beta Kappa

The Martha Stackhouse Grafton Award

The School of Education Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award

MBU Online Legacy Award

MBU Online Outstanding Graduate Award President Fox

The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Student Award with the Mary Keith Fitzroy Award

The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Non-Student Award

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS Dr. Edward Scott Associate Professor of Philosophy

CONFERRING OF DEGREES IN COURSE President Fox

Dr. Paul Menzer, Vice President and Dean, Gold College of Arts and Sciences

Mr. Charles W. “Will” Webb, Senior Vice President and Dean, Palmer College of Professional Studies

ALUMNI INVESTITURE

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Amber Randall Ocasio ’14, MS ’22

Mrs. Gabrielle McCree ’83, Board of Trustees Chair

CLOSING REMARKS President Fox

A HYMN FOR MARY BALDWIN

Melody: Scandinavian Folk Song

Lyrics by Professor Emeritus of Music Gordon C. Page

Performed by Senior Members of the MBU Choir: Adele Beaucicot, Jaliyah Bryant, Chasity

Ford, Talford Hayden, Nadia Martin, Shaion Ury, Laryn Weeks, and Jacob Wine

1. To these halls where Wisdom reckons,

To these hills where Beauty dwells; Where the search for Learning beckons, Where its tumult never quells.

2. Here we bring our childhood visions Stirring in the quest for Truth; Here we forge the mind’s decisions Tempered by the faith of youth.

3. Friendship, honor, sorrow, laughter Are the ways by which we learn, Knowledge first, then Wisdom after, Love that seeks not for return.

4. When we reach the last tomorrow Of our days in class, on field, We will know how we must borrow, Mary Baldwin, from thy yield.

PARTING BLESSING Dr. Low

ACADEMIC RECESSIONAL

Crown Imperial March

By William Walton

HONORS AT MARY BALDWIN UNIVERSITY

LATIN HONORS

Traditionally, the students achieving the very highest grades in a graduating class are awarded their degrees summa cum laude, which means in Latin “with highest praise.” The next two designations with which the faculty recognizes exceptionally high grades are magna cum laude (“with great praise”) and cum laude (“with praise”).

HONORS DEGREE

At Mary Baldwin University, Honor Scholars may elect to pursue an honors degree by taking a number of specially designed advanced courses and writing and defending an honors thesis.

WITH DISTINCTION IN THE MAJOR

Any student may be designated by the faculty in his or her major as having earned the title of “with distinction” in that major, usually for high grades and an unusually fine senior project.

BACCALAUREATE REGALIA

Graduation robes or academic regalia go back to the Middle Ages. The clergy and students in the universities wore black gowns to hide ink stains resulting from daily note-taking and copying texts using a quill pen dipped in horns filled with liquid ink.

A detachable black hood was part of the standard medieval dress as well. It hung over the shoulders and could be pulled up over the head to keep the sun or rain off, or pulled off with a little rear extension called the liripipe.

By the Renaissance, hats were in and hoods were out. Most hats were soft, flat bags like a tam. The larger ones needed a cardboard stiffener to keep them from falling down over the wearer’s eyes. In the 18th century in Oxford, poor undergraduates asked tailors to use as little fabric as possible, so the cardboard was all that remained. People thought they resembled the boards masons carried on their heads when working so the term “mortarboard” came into use.

Also in the 18th century, hoods became more colorful and were often made in colors that indicated a particular college or degree. Ornamental tassels were added to the mortarboard and were generally worn after graduation, hanging off the left side to keep a clear view of the writing hand. The whole regalia — cap, hood, gown — was worn to lectures and at formal college functions until the 19th century.

At Mary Baldwin, seniors put on their caps and gowns for the first time on Founders Day in October of their senior year. Hoods, lined with Mary Baldwin’s white and yellow colors, are added at Commencement. The white facings represent the liberal arts. Specialized degrees all have their own colors, but the liberal arts, like white light, are composed of all the colors. Bachelor of Science in Nursing hoods are designated with an apricot facing.

MASTER’S REGALIA

Gowns worn by all candidates for master’s degrees are longer than those worn by bachelor’s degree candidates and have long, bat-wing shaped sleeves. The master’s hood is wider and longer than the bachelor’s hood, and for all Mary Baldwin University master’s degrees it is lined with yellow and white silk to show Mary Baldwin’s colors. The velvet outer facing of the hood for the Master of Arts in Teaching and the Master of Letters degrees is white, representing the liberal arts. The facing of the hood for the Master of Science in Higher Education and Master of Education are both light blue, representing education. The Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis facing is golden yellow, representing the applied sciences. The Master of Fine Arts hood’s facings are a light brown color (fawn), representing the arts. The Master of Business Administration hood facing is drab, representing business. The Master of Science in Physician Assistant hood’s facings are green, representing medicine. The Master of Healthcare Administration hood is trimmed in salmon, the traditional color of public health. Graduates with dual degrees of Master of Science in Nursing and Master of Healthcare Administration will wear hoods with apricot velvet, representing nursing. Graduates with dual degrees of Master of Healthcare Administration and Master of Business Administration will wear hoods with salmon velvet, representing public health.

DOCTORAL REGALIA

Gowns worn by doctoral degree candidates are distinguished by the colored velvet panel on the front and three horizontal bars at the sleeves. The teal velvet trim on the hood is the traditional color of the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, and the Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree is distinguished with Rhodes blue trim. The colors of the lining, yellow and white, are Mary Baldwin University’s colors. A velvet tam and tassel are used instead of the undergraduate cap.

FACULTY REGALIA

Baccalaureate and master’s-level gowns are usually black and are untrimmed, with the sleeves of the master’s gown generally longer. Velvet panels down the front distinguish doctoral gowns, which may be black or a school color of the university granting the degree. Three horizontal velvet bars on the sleeves, usually of the color representing the wearer’s degree, also mark the doctorate. Only doctoral caps may be made of velvet.

The length of a hood indicates the degree, with the bachelor’s being three feet long, the master’s three and one half, and the doctoral four feet. The color of the lining indicates the university at which the degree was earned and is usually the school color. The border of the hood indicates the academic discipline in which the degree was earned; for most faculty this is the dark blue of philosophy, indicating an earned PhD (doctor of philosophy, typically the highest degree in an academic discipline), or the EdD (light blue for education) or MBA (drab).

Student marshals, wearing gold epaulettes on the left shoulder, are chosen from the Honors List in each class.

PRESIDENTIAL MEDALLION AND CHAIN OF OFFICE

The presidential medallion is patterned after MBU’s 1992 sesquicentennial medal. Mary Baldwin’s president wears the medallion of office on formal occasions such as Commencement. Designed by artist R. Daniel Booton of Gum Spring, Virginia, the medallion features the Mary Baldwin seal on one side and a profile of the Administration Building — complete with the cast-iron dogs Ham and Jam — on the other. The dates of the establishment of Augusta Female Seminary and its elevation to college status, and the university’s motto, Non Pro Tempore, Sed Aeternitate (“Not for time, but for eternity”), appear with the seal.

The chain was designed by Booton to depict oak leaves linked with acorns, symbols associated with the university that convey courage, truth, and strength. The medallion and necklace are gifts to the university from the faculty.

Says President Pamela Fox: “The medallion is an ongoing symbol of our strength and tradition, and it is wonderful that this representation of unity and continuity was initiated by the faculty.”

The Mary Baldwin robe symbolizes and celebrates President Fox’s 20-year tenure for her final Commencement before retirement. The gown’s yellow, white, and gold represent the university’s colors, together with the hood’s gray velvet facing. Four horizontal velvet bars on the sleeves indicate presidential status, and embroidered in gold on the front of the robe are the Mary Baldwin College and University seals distinguishing President Fox as the only president to serve the institution under both names.

THE UNIVERSITY MARSHALS, MACE, AND BATON

Two faculty members are elected by the faculty to serve as marshals, officials who ensure the orderly conduct of public ceremonies. The university marshal bears the mace, and the associate marshal the baton, both symbols of self-governance and authority of the institution. They resemble those used since colonial times in Virginia by the legislature.

The mace and baton were gifts from the Alumni Association, and their design was taken from the Baldwin family crest and the memorial stained glass window in Grafton Library. On the mace, the squirrel is a symbol of industriousness, curiosity, dignity, grace, and liveliness. On the baton, the acorn symbolizes strength, and the oak leaves stand for durability, courage, and truth. The maces are made of local walnut, a wood that represents longevity and hidden wisdom. Gold represents wisdom and honor, and the green of the oak leaves stands for life.

University Marshal 2023 Dr.

Peter Ruiz-Haas Associate Professor of Chemistry

Associate Marshal 2023 Dr.

Amy Tillerson-Brown Dean, Mary Baldwin College for Women Professor of History

Congratulations to the graduates of Mary Baldwin University. Our very best wishes go with you.