Countdown to Commencement 2024

Gear up for graduation with this hub for all things end-of-year

Commencement is right around the corner, as are the many events and ceremonies that accompany it. This is a season celebrating student successes of all kinds before the college’s next round of graduates take their first steps into the world beyond the campus in the clouds.

As we prepare for the main event, refer to this page to keep up to date with all the other end-of-year festivities, ceremonies, and celebrations across campus.

Gear up for Graduation

Commencement will be held on Tate Lawn at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 4. Guests will not be limited unless the ceremony is moved to the rain location in Williams Gymnasium, in which case graduates will be limited to four (4) guests per person. Prepare for the big day with this checklist:

The Class of 2024 poses in front of Tufts Tower in preparation for their Commencement ceremony.

Commencement Speakers

Nate Darden

English major and Creative Writing minor Darden will be the Commencement speaker representing the college’s on-campus programs.

Meet Nate

Lexi Seagle

Online Elementary Education major Seagle will be the Commencement speaker representing the college’s Online and Distance Learning programs.

Meet Lexi

Meet the Graduates

Cami Belin >>

As she prepares for Commencement in May, the Criminal Justice and Psychology double-major reflects on how she has grown.

Taylor Barrineau >>

Barrineau has completed the Exercise Science program along a pre-physical therapy track and will begin physical therapy school in the fall.

Amber Jernigan >>

Jernigan balanced full-time work, school, and parenthood thanks to the flexibility of the Online Special Education program.

Mikayla Hamilton >>

The English major is currently working on her first novel, a project she plans to use for her senior seminar and to apply for graduate programs.

Timon Jones >>

Jones, who is majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Psychology, has incorporated the two disciplines into his student organization The Dreamer’s Club.

Andrea Brawley >>

After graduating with an associate degree in criminal justice from a local community college, Brawley’s interests shifted toward human resources.

Nicolas Aguilar >>

The Outdoor Recreation Management and Wilderness Medicine and Rescue double-major is also the coach and captain of the college's club climbing team.

Ceremonies, Awards, and Events

100 Days Until Graduation

Graduating students began their countdown to the big day in January when the college hosted its annual 100 Days Until Graduation event. Students celebrated their upcoming achievement by joining Students Today Alumni Tomorrow (STAT), taking professional headshots, entering a raffle for a Lees-McRae diploma frame, and more.

Alpha Phi Sigma Induction Ceremony

Alpha Phi Sigma, the national criminal justice honor society, inducted its newest cohort of Lees-McRae students this April. Program Coordinator of Criminal Justice Tracy Hoilman, along with Instructors of Criminal Justice Jerry Turbyfill and Derrick Lail, welcomed 11 new inductees at a ceremony in Miller Commons.

The new inductees are Neeleigh Maddox, Dylan Myers, Kade Hoilman, Garrett Gulley, Patrycja Rykala, Justin Rowland, Hannah Gunsallus, Destiny Holley, Carmen Osinga, Autumn Dockery, and Tabitha Rogers.

Honors and Awards

Another annual tradition, the Honors and Awards ceremony is held at the end of each academic year to celebrate the academic, instructional, community, and volunteer achievements of those in the college community.

In addition to awards presented by each academic program, the athletics department, and the Student Government Association, five awards are given out: the Sullivan Award, which is presented to graduating seniors, alumni, or community members for outstanding “nobility of character”; the New Faculty Award for a high-achieving faculty member who has been with the college for one to three years; the Faculty Academic Advisor Award, which is given to a faculty member for delivering reliable, consistent, and comprehensive advising to students; the Edgar Tufts Faculty Award, which honors outstanding professional performance; and the Edgar Tufts Humanitarian Service Award.

The Edgar Tufts Humanitarian Service Award is presented to one student and one faculty member in honor of the college’s founder Edgar Tufts. Recipients exemplify a life of service to the campus and community and display a life of giving.

This year President Lee King also awarded the President’s Award for Excellence, a special honor that is not given each year. He presented the award to Assistant Professors of Nursing Evelyn Brewer, Barbara Leduc, and Martha Hartley, who will graduate their final cohort of students with the Class of 2024 before the academic program is closed.

Read the event recap

65th Annual Honors and Awards Ceremony

CATSPYS

Each year the CATSPY Awards are held in celebration of the achievements of the college's student-athletes. 2024 marked the eighth annual CATSPYS, and dozens of student-athletes were recognized for their athletic achievements and commitments to their teams' success. In addition to the individual awards, the women's swimming team and the men's soccer team also received group awards for overall team academics, and the women's soccer team received the CATSPY for team philanthrophy.

This year's Student Athlete of the Year awards were presented to senior Criminal Justice major Destiny Holley, and senior Sport Management major Sidney Dollar.

Alpha Chi National Honor Society Induction Ceremony

Five students were inducted into the college’s 2024 cohort of the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society, and honored with a ceremony on Friday, May 3. Students are inducted into the society in recognition of their high academic achievement. This year’s inductees were Genesis Lutsky, Allison Dion, Caprice Pratt, Greta Tart, and Layla Tart.

Nursing Pinning Ceremony

This year’s pinning ceremony for the college’s Nursing program was a special one, as it marked the completion of the college’s final class of Nursing graduates before the program is closed. Assistant Professor Evelyn Brewer lead the ceremony, and affixed each graduate with the ceremonial pin which honors their commitment to their patients, the field of nursing, and lifelong learning.

This year’s graduates were Tyasia Jett, Lainey Prejean, Shanda Pritchard, Pamela White, and Madison Winn.

Baccalaureate Ceremony

Traditionally held the evening before Commencement, the Baccalaureate hooding ceremony provides one last opportunity for Lees-McRae faculty, staff, and administration to impart words of advice and encouragement to the newest group of graduates before they walk the stage and become alumni.

Each year the graduating class selects faculty and staff members to deliver Baccalaureate speeches and get them excited for the following day. This year, Director of Health Services Carl Griewisch─better known as Nurse Carl─ Program Coordinator of Pre-Physical Therapy and Associate Professor of Biology Dee Medford-Baker, and Student Success Coordinator Cara Fulton delivered the speeches at the event.

In their speeches Griewisch, Medford-Baker, and Fulton congratulated the graduates on all they have accomplished to make it to their graduation, and imparted wisdom, encouragement, and assurance in their success as the graduating class looks into the future.

In her speech, Medford-Baker shared a story about her own experience with graduations, namely that she did not attend a single of her own. Although, she said, the schools she attended were well-respected, her instructors were knowledgeable, and she performed well, she never felt inclined to attend a ceremony. Not for high school, undergraduate school, or graduate school.

“It wasn’t until I was asked to give this speech that I actually delved into the ‘why’ I balked at attending graduations,” Medford-Baker said in her Baccalaureate speech. “The answer is simple: I felt no ties or connections to these institutions. There was no sense of community…community isn’t lacking at Lees-McRae. It is one of the hallmarks of this institution.”

In addition to their newly minted degrees, that sense of community is perhaps the most valuable gift that Lees-McRae students take with them when they graduate from the college and leave their mountain home.

2024 Baccalaureate Ceremony
By Maya JarrellApril 23, 2024
Academics