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 The commencement ceremony will take place in the
Lincoln Center on the Lincoln College campus beginning at 12:30 p.m.
The ceremony includes graduates from the Lincoln campus, as well as
from Lincoln College’s Accelerated Bridge to Education (ABE)
program, which includes students from the Normal, Lincoln, Peoria,
and Oglesby campuses.
The keynote speaker for commencement is Reverend Glenn Shelton,
retired pastor and teacher at Second Baptist Church in Lincoln, Ill.
Shelton is a United States Air Force veteran, known for his many
contributions to education and community service in Logan County. He
has served as Alderman for the City of Lincoln, Chartered Board
Member for the Lincoln YMCA, Chairman of the Family Selection
Committee for Habitat for Humanity, and Chief of Staff for the
National Baptist Convention USA through the Congress of Christian
Education. Shelton currently serves as Chairman of the Logan County
E-911 Board of Advisors, Scholarship Chairman for the Woodriver
Baptist District Association, and 4th Vice President of the State of
Illinois Baptist General. Shelton is also a former Lincoln College
Trustee, retiring in September 2020.
Shelton co-founded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship at
Lincoln College. Since its inception, the scholarship has raised
more than $80,000 to fund academic scholarships for minority
students graduating from a Logan County high school. The scholarship
commemorates the memory of Dr. King and the late community advocate,
Ms. Joyce Kinzie.
Also giving a commencement address is Michael Phelon, founder and
director of The Outlet, a 501c3 nonprofit organization mentoring
young men in Springfield, Ill. The Outlet seeks to assist youth with
making responsible life decisions, holding strong spiritual values,
exploring their gifts, and realizing their dreams.
The Outlet serves over 100 young men and offers group sessions, job
training, career development, life coaching, and college readiness.
Working with the City of Springfield, the Springfield Urban League,
Springfield Police Department, Springfield School District 186, and
area churches, The Outlet has been impacting youth in Sangamon
County since 2004.
Phelon has been awarded the Rotary Foundation’s Paul
Harris Fellowship Award, Springfield’s Business Journals 40 Under 40
Award, Greater Springfield Interfaith Association Humanitarian
Award, Illinois State Treasurer, Michael Frerich’s Community Service
Award, State Comptroller, Susan Mendoza Black History Honoree Award,
and most recently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Director’s
Community Leadership Award for his contributions to his community.
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Providing the student address is Lincoln College’s Accelerated
Bridge to Education (ABE) student, Jacilyn “Jackie” Gunderson, the 2021
recipient of the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Award thereby becoming a
Student Laureate of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois.
Each fall, an outstanding senior from each of the state’s four-year
degree-granting colleges and universities and one from the community colleges in
Illinois is awarded. The Lincoln Academy of Illinois states, “In the spirit of
Lincoln, Student Laureates are honored for their leadership and service in the
pursuit of the betterment of humanity and for overall excellence in curricular
and extracurricular activities.”
This year, Lincoln College senior Jackie Gunderson was selected and honored by
The Lincoln Academy of Illinois. Gunderson is graduating summa cum laude with a
bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership. A first-generation college
student, Gunderson was inducted into Alpha Sigma Lambda, a national honor
society for non-traditional students.
Gunderson serves as the Director of the Penguin Project of McLean County, a
volunteer with Healing Ride Ministry through Wesley United Methodist Church,
Co-Lead Facilitator for the Friends Like Us youth group offered by Central
Illinois PRIDE Health Center, volunteers with Special Olympics.
To accommodate seating and capacity limitations, each student is permitted four
tickets for Lincoln College’s Commencement Ceremony. Seating will begin at 11:30
a.m. Tickets will be required for admittance. Additional seating is available on
a first-come, first-serve basis in the Johnston Center for Performing Arts.
Graduates can check their MyLynx and Canvas accounts, as well as student or
personal email addresses, for additional information.
“We are thrilled to recognize the academic achievements of our graduates, said
David Gerlach, President of Lincoln College. “This ceremony will be the last at
Lincoln College prior to permanent closure, but we are determined to celebrate
our graduates in a traditional manner.”
The 155th Commencement Ceremony will be streamed through LCTV for live and
recorded viewing at
www.lincolncollege.edu/lctv-stream. The free LCTV at Lincoln College
app is available for download on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
[Lauren D. Grenlund]
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