Methodist University celebrated more than 250 undergraduate and graduate students during its 60th spring commencement exercises Friday and Saturday, May 5 and 6.
“I am so very proud of your accomplishments,” said Methodist President Stanley T. Wearden. “Not only have you completed challenging and important degree programs, but you have done so during a difficult time in human history. I hope you see in yourselves what I see in you — a deep reservoir of strength, character and compassion. These are qualities that will serve you for a lifetime of success.”
The university celebrated “Commencement Weekend” with three ceremonies for the Class of 2023 over two days: a graduate commencement and Baccalaureate service on campus on Friday and an undergraduate commencement at the Crown Coliseum on Saturday, according to a university news release.
Friday’s graduate commencement welcomed hundreds of family members and friends to Huff Concert Hall as more than 60 students received master’s and doctoral degrees. Methodist offers 10 graduate programs, including business administration, physician assistant studies, occupational therapy and physical therapy.
Mike Nagowski, chief executive officer of Cape Fear Valley Health, was the keynote speaker. Nagowski helped create a partnership between Methodist University and Cape Fear Valley Health to establish a medical school at Methodist.
Nagowski was presented an honorary doctor of humane letters degree recognizing his service to Fayetteville and the region.
“Adapting and overcoming the challenges that you were presented with was something few others have had to overcome,” Nagowski said in his keynote speech. “As the world and your job markets change — and they will change — you have learned to adapt and change. This is what will make you stronger and more valuable to yourself, your family, the work you choose to do, and your community. … Go forth with all that you have learned, adapt fearlessly to challenges of the world around you, and make a lasting impact in your communities.”
Before receiving their diplomas onstage, the graduates participated in a hooding ceremony, a long-standing tradition at Methodist. Someone selected by each graduate — often a parent, spouse, child, professor, or friend — hoods the graduate to mark academic achievement. Afterward, Wearden stood with graduates as they received their diplomas onstage.
The Baccalaureate service was held in Matthews Chapel to recognize the graduates. Ashleigh Adamson, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music performance, performed along with the university chorale. The Rev. Clay L. Barrow, senior pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Greensboro, spoke at the service.
On Saturday morning, family and friends filled Crown Coliseum for the undergraduate commencement. Former university board of trustees Chairwoman Mary Lynn Bryan was the keynote speaker.
Bryan was the co-chair of the Building Excellence Capital Campaign, which raised a record-breaking $42 million that funded construction of McLean Health Sciences Building, Matthews Ministry Center, and Union-Zukowski Lobby and Gallery.
Bryan was presented a University Medallion in recognition of her contributions. She then addressed the graduates with a call to action in their post-graduation careers.
“Graduates, I hope your experiences at MU have been all you have imagined they would be — challenging, surprising, fun, and, most of all, mind-opening,” said Bryan. “After you leave Methodist University, be sure to look back with thanks and pleasure. Take the Methodist University values with you and incorporate them into your personal lives. The times and challenges are great, but you are MU graduates. You have an education and the skills to make a positive difference in our world. Go forth and make MU proud.”
Several students were recognized for their time at Methodist, including Karma Choki, the first person from Bhutan to graduate from the university. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She waved her homeland’s flag onstage, and it will now hang in Berns Student Center, bringing the number of countries represented by MU graduates to 125.
The Algernon Sydney Sullivan and Mary Mildred Sullivan awards were presented to a student and two members of the university community to recognized commitment to service.
They are graduate Sean Coleman. who received a bachelor’s degree in engineering with a minor in mathematics and business administration, as well as university President Emeritus M. Elton Hendricks and his wife, Jerry A. Hendricks. During their 27-year tenure, they lived by the principle that a quality education is essential for fostering a life of virtue, according to the recognition.
Later in the service, Hendricks hooded his grandson, Tanner Hendricks, his third grandson to graduate from Methodist. It was during Hendricks’ term as president that both the hooding ceremony and the presentation of international flags at commencement began.
Tanner Hendricks, who majored in social work, was also this year’s Lucius Stacy Weaver Award winner. Voted on by the faculty, the award recognizes the student who best exemplifies academic excellence, spiritual development, leadership, and service.
Valeria Matute was name this year’s Distinguished Graduate. She was among five students in her undergraduate class with the highest GPA and was chosen to speak at commencement by her peers. Matute, who is from Venezuela, received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in professional tennis management.
“There were many moments when today may have felt unreachable or that it could not come soon enough,” Matute said. “But as we say in my country, ‘No hay que ahogarse en un vaso de agua’ or ‘Don’t drown in a glass of water.’ Sometimes, looking from the inside, semesters have felt as long as it takes to swim across the ocean, sharks and all. However, from the outside, it’s nothing more than a few gulps. … If we’ve learned anything from our time here, we should have learned how to keep our experiences in perspective.”
After Matute spoke, nearly 200 graduates participated in the hooding ceremony and received their degrees from Wearden, who left them with a final message during the symbolic moving of the tassels.
“Congratulations, graduates, family members, and friends. This is a significant achievement, and it will change your lives in many ways both tangibly and intangibly,” said Wearden. “Stay in touch, share your accomplishments with us, and stay involved.”
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