Greenville College 120th Commencement
Published: April 13, 2021
Orange and black tents on Scott Field, festive banners flanking the columns on Ruby E. Dare Library, and more banners lining the walk by H.J. Long Gymnasium heralded Greenville College's 120th Commencement. On May 26 and 27, the College conferred degrees on 468 students.
Matthew Thomas, bishop of the Free Methodist Church, delivered Saturday's commencement address to graduates of master's degree and off-campus bachelor's degree programs. Victoria "Tori" Murden McClure, renowned world adventurer and current president of Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky, delivered Sunday's commencement address to traditional graduates. Both speakers encouraged members of the Class of 2012 to stretch their thinking about achievement.
Bishop Thomas, a former pastor, church planter, missionary and superintendent in the Free Methodist Church, alerted graduates to God's preference for working through weakness rather than strength. He pointed to the cases of Abram, Moses, Joseph, and the Apostle Paul, observing that God used them significantly once He had drawn them out of their areas of comfort and expertise and away from familiar faces, languages, and places.
"The largest impact made by the predominant number of people in the pages of Scripture is carried out in areas of profound weakness," he said. "God wants to have something to do with your success. When you are least prepared may be the time that God uses you most to do something significant for Him."
McClure, best known as the first woman to row a boat solo across the Atlantic Ocean, reminded students that their achievements were due in part, to persons who prepared the way for them. "Twelve years ago I rowed a boat, solo and unassisted across the Atlantic Ocean," she explained. "There were no chase vessels, no film crews. I was entirely alone, but I did not row across the ocean by myself. You may have endured the waves and storms of Greenville College, but no matter how independent you are, it will never convince me that you did it by yourself."
She called graduates to remember the persons who prepared them for their journeys, coached them along the way, prayed for them, and "held the bandages and ointments ready" should disaster prevail. "Share the joy of this day with them," advised McClure, "It is their day as much as it is yours."
During Sunday's commencement program, Professor of Communication Cecelia Ulmer received the W. Richard Stephens Outstanding Faculty Award, accompanied with a $1,000 check. Students Amber Brown and Amanda DeMiele received the President's Citation in recognition of their high academic achievements.
Of the College's 468 graduates, 220 earned traditional undergraduate degrees, 84 earned undergraduate degrees through Greenville College's Organizational Leadership program, and 40 earned undergraduate degrees through the Undergraduate Teaching Partnership (UTEP) program. Degrees were also conferred on 124 graduate students. Of these, 30 received master's degrees in management practices, and 94 received master's degrees in education.
