|
 Graduating students will be allowed up to six
guests at the ceremony. Millikin community members unable to attend
the ceremony in person will be able to watch the ceremony through a
public live stream on Millikin's flagship Facebook page and
commencement site.
Millikin graduates in the College of Fine Arts and the College of
Professional Studies will participate in the first ceremony on May
22 at 10 a.m. Doors will open at 9 a.m.
The morning ceremony will feature student speaker Erica Reyes, of
Grant Park, Ill., who is graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts
from the College of Fine Arts with a major in art therapy and a
minor in psychology. "Being here at Millikin has given me the
opportunity to find my voice and understand my identity," she says.
The title of Reyes' speech is "Graduates, we did it."
During her four years at Millikin, Reyes has been
heavily involved as a student leader. She was instrumental in
reestablishing Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority Inc. on campus
and served as the president for the last two years. She is a member
of the Latin American Student Organization and served as the vice
president for three semesters. She is a Long-Vanderburg Scholar and
Mentor, a member of Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society and was a
resident assistant her sophomore year.
Graduates in the College of Arts & Sciences and the Tabor School of
Business will participate in the second ceremony at 3 p.m. Doors
will open at 2 p.m.
The afternoon ceremony will feature student speaker Aubrey Staton,
of El Paso, Ill., who is graduating with a Bachelor of Science from
the Tabor School of Business with a major in entrepreneurship and a
minor in digital media marketing. "Millikin has given me countless
opportunities," she says. The title of Staton's speech is "The only
consistent thing is change." During her four
years, Staton was a member of the Honors Program and the Millikin
women's basketball team. She also served as a Big Blue Ambassador
and a senior resident assistant. Staton has received several awards,
including the Scovill Prize during her junior year and recently
became a business owner after filing for her LLC.
This year's commencement keynote speaker is Millikin President
Emeritus Dr. Patrick E. White. Dr. White was elected the 15th
president of Millikin University in October 2013 after he joined
Millikin as the interim president in July 2013. Dr. White retired as
president of Millikin University on June 30, 2020.
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 Under Dr. White's leadership, Millikin was
revitalized and reimagined through a commitment to Millikin's
signature Performance Learning and a new energy for growth in
academic and athletic programs, student body and campus facilities.
In 2015, under Dr. White's guidance, Millikin completed its
"Transform MU" capital campaign 14 months early, exceeding its $85
million goal by over $10 million. This successful initiative led to
the design and construction of innovative, transformative facilities
on the University's campus. The Workman Family Softball Field, one
of the best in the nation, was unveiled for the spring 2017 softball
season. The $31 million University Commons, which serves as the
"front door and main street" to campus, opened in August 2017, and
the University officially opened the on-campus home of the Big Blue
Baseball program with the dedication of the new Workman Family
Baseball Field on Sept. 27, 2019. During Dr.
White's tenure, Millikin's Center for Theatre & Dance was completed
in fall 2020, providing the School of Theatre & Dance with a
facility equal in quality and potential to its national reputation.
This $29 million state-of-the-art facility features a 260-seat
flexible theatre with an orchestra pit and balcony, lighting and
sound labs, a costume studio, collaboration spaces, costume and
design classrooms, modern equipment and office space for current
staff with room for growth.
Prior to working at Millikin, Dr. White served seven years as the
15th president of Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind. During his
tenure at Wabash, Dr. White developed a student-focused strategic
plan; guided the College through the financial turmoil of 2008-09;
completed a comprehensive academic program review and unqualified
Self-Study Report that led to reaccreditation; secured a number of
grants to establish new programs; achieved success in the Challenge
of Excellence capital campaign that exceeded its $60 million goal;
and completed a $6 million Athletics Field Campaign.
Dr. White also served as vice president and dean of faculty at Saint
Mary's College at Notre Dame, Ind., from 2002-06, was the associate
dean of faculty from 1988-2002 and served the all-women's college as
professor of English. Earlier in his career, Dr. White was the chair
of the Department of Language and Literature at Pfieffer College in
Misenheimer, N.C., from 1985-88, and taught at Westmar College in Le
Mars, Iowa, from 1976-85.
A National Merit Scholar, Dr. White earned a Bachelor of Arts in
English from the University of Chicago in 1971, a Master of Arts in
English from the University of Iowa in 1975, and a Doctorate of
English and American Literature from the University of Iowa in 1980.
For more information on Millikin University's May 2022 commencement
ceremonies, please visit millikin.edu/commencement.
[Millikin University Director of
Media Relations and Publications Dane Lisser] |
