Countdown to Commencement 2024
Gear up for graduation with this hub for all things end-of-yearCommencement 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:
- RSVP for the Commencement and Baccalaureate ceremonies by Friday, April 26
- Pick up graduation regalia from The Exchange Bookstore now. Online/Distance Learning graduates may pick up their orders at Commencement rehearsal on Friday, May 3.
- Take the Graduation Survey
- Review the full weekend schedule
Commencement Speakers
Nate Darden
English major and Creative Writing minor Darden will be the Commencement speaker representing the college’s on-campus programs.
Lexi Seagle
Online Elementary Education major Seagle will be the Commencement speaker representing the college’s Online and Distance Learning programs.
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.
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.
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.
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.