2017 USA/Canada Commencement Report
Nazarene News compiled the following list of spring commencement reports from each of the Nazarene institutions of higher education on the USA/Canada Region:
Ambrose University
President: Gordon T. Smith
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Web: ambrose.edu
Date of Graduation Exercises: April 29
Commencement Speakers: Mark MacDonald for undergrad, Deidre Brower Latz for seminary, and Charles Salina for education
Number of Graduates: 201
Fast Facts: Convocation events were held on campus and broadcast live over the Internet ... Video.
Eastern Nazarene College
President: Corlis McGee
Location: Quincy, Massachusetts
Web: enc.edu
Date of Graduation Exercises: May 6
Commencement Speaker: Corlis McGee, Eastern Nazarene College President
Number of Graduates: 217
Fast Facts: This was ENC's 95th Spring Commencement ... The A Cappella Choir provided music at the ceremony ... Faculty emeritus status was granted to Jan Lanham and Michael Ballard for their distinguished years of service at ENC ... Photos ... Full Story.
MidAmerica Nazarene University
President: David J. Spittal
Location: Olathe, Kansas
Web: mnu.edu
Dates of Commencement Exercises: May 6
Commencement Speakers: General Superintendent J. K. Warrick, traditional undergraduate ceremony, and President David Spittal, professional and graduate studies ceremony
Number of Graduates: 693
Fast Facts: MNU’s 46th annual commencement was held with two ceremonies, one for traditional undergraduate and one for professional and graduate studies, at College Church of the Nazarene ... This year’s graduates had the honor of graduating during MNU’s 50th anniversary celebration ... The status of professor emeritus was awarded to Mike Gough, who is retiring from full-time teaching but will continue to teach part-time for the School of Business ... Pam Burrus received the Robert I. Brower Award for excellence in teaching in Professional and Graduate Studies ... The honorary Doctor of Humane Letters was awarded to Phyllis Michael and Doctor of Divinity to J. K. Warrick ... The American Heritage Award, the highest award for one undergraduate male and female, was awarded to Thomson Ticum and Jamie Furnas, respectively ... Photos.
Mount Vernon Nazarene University
President: Henry W. Spaulding II
Location: Mount Vernon, Ohio
Web: mvnu.edu
Date of Graduation Exercises: April 29
Commencement Speaker: Douglas Wyatt, Eastern Kentucky District Superintendent
Number of Graduates: 574
Fast Facts: This was MVNU's 48th Spring Commencement ... The Class of 2017 included 251 traditional undergraduate students and 323 graduate and professional studies students ... Photos ... Full story.
Nazarene Bible College
President: Harold Graves Jr.
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Web: nbc.edu
Dates of Graduation Exercises: May 28
Commencement Speaker: David Busic, Church of the Nazarene General Superintendent
Number of Graduates: 97
Fast Facts: This was the 48th Spring Commencement at NBC ... Commencement activities were held at Strickland Chapel ... David Ian Fitzpatrick and Norman L. Moore were both awarded with Honorary Doctorates of Divinity ... Jerry D. Lambert was granted president emeritus status in acknowledgment of his contributions to Nazarene Bible College and the church ... Ron Attig was awarded professor emeritus status, as well as his wife, Ann M. Attig, as professor emerita, and Charles Self as adjunct professor emeritus ... NBC celebrated 50 years of excellence and service ... This year’s commencement was the last held on the Colorado Springs campus.
Northwest Nazarene University
President: Joel Pearsall
Location: Nampa, Idaho
Web: nnu.edu
Date of Graduation Exercises: May 6
Commencement Speaker: Joel Pearsall, NNU President (arts and sciences), Rhonda Carrim, Associate Professor of Practical Theology
Number of Graduates: 602
Fast Facts: This was the university's 101st commencement ceremony ... Photos.
Nazarene Theological Seminary
President: Carla Sunberg
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Web: nts.edu
Date of Graduation Exercises: May 7
Commencement Speaker: Roger Hahn, Retiring Dean of the Faculty
Number of graduates: 47
Fast Facts: This was the 71st Spring Commencement at NTS ... Commencement activities were held at Kansas City First Church of the Nazarene ... The 47 graduates of the Class of 2017 received degrees as follows: 15 Master of Arts, 25 Master of Divinity, and seven Doctor of Ministry ... Twenty of the graduates earned certificates or diplomas ... The graduates represented nine countries: USA, India, South Korea, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Ecuador, New Zealand, and South Africa... Photos... Full Story.
Olivet Nazarene University
President: John Bowling
Location: Bourbonnais, Illinois
Web: olivet.edu
Date of Graduation Exercises: May 6
Commencement Speakers: Shannon Bradshaw, 1994 Olivet graduate and Vice President of Education for MongoDB, Inc.
Number of Graduates: 1,429
Fast Facts: This was Olivet's 104th annual commencement ... At the undergraduate ceremony, awards were presented for the outstanding male and outstanding female graduates, as well as scholarly excellence and teaching excellence. ... Ten students who earned bachelor’s degrees had the distinction of being Honors Program graduates. ... There were 165 adult studies bachelor’s degrees, 609 master’s degrees, and 22 doctorate degrees... Photos... Full story.
Point Loma Nazarene University
President: Bob Brower
Location: San Diego, California
Web: pointloma.edu
Date of Graduation Exercises: May 5-6
Commencement Speaker: Lori Carter, PLNU alumna and Professor of Computer Science
Number of Graduates: 896
Fast Facts: Festivities began in the historic Greek Amphitheater on PLNU's campus with the Graduate and Professional Studies Commencement (327) … This year's class included the second and third cohort of graduates from the university's expanded adult degree completion programs, including 23 Bachelor of Science in Nursing and 44 Bachelor of Arts graduates from PLNU’s community college partnerships ... Five retiring faculty members were recognized ... Webpage.
Southern Nazarene University
President: Loren Gresham
Location: Bethany, Oklahoma
Web: snu.edu
Date of Graduation Exercises: May 13
Commencement Speaker: Loren Gresham, Southern Nazarene University President
Number of Graduates: 478
Fast Facts: This was SNU's 114th Spring Commencement ... Brad Moore, president of the SNU Board of Trustees, announced that the SNU Board of Trustees voted to give the title of president emeritus to Gresham, active on his retirement date of July 31. Only one other president in the history of SNU has been given that title ... Colin Ryan Pasque and Jamie Gerbrecht received the President's Award, the highest award at SNU for traditional undergraduate students, based on academic excellence, leadership, and service ... Thirty-four members of the Class of 1967 were presented with commemorative medallions ... The morning commencement was followed by the Tradition of the Ivy Ring with graduating seniors and their families ... Photos ... Full story.
Trevecca Nazarene University
President: Dan Boone
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Web: trevecca.edu
Date of Graduation Exercises: May 6
Commencement Speaker: Joy Twillie, Academic Director and Associate Professor in Trevecca’s Physician Assistant Program
Number of Graduates: 794
Fast Facts: This was Trevecca's 116th commencement ... The university honored retiring faculty member Dan Spross by awarding him emeritus status. ... Trevecca awarded an honorary Doctor of Human Letters to Michael Spalding ... Dan Boone, president of Trevecca, awarded the citizenship award to Michael Foster, outgoing student body president ... Photos ... Full story.