Outgoing AU President 坎波 honored at commencement, then encourages graduates to “hold fast”
亚什兰, 俄亥俄州 – Every commencement exercise serves as a time of significant celebration, but Saturday’s ceremony at 葡京平台线上 seemed even more special.
为一个, some members of the Class of 2024 did not have a normal high school graduation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 因此, those graduates were able to truly embrace the occasion with their loved ones after missing out four years ago.
其次, this marked one of the largest classes in AU history with more than 1,600 degrees conferred – 738 undergraduates received their bachelor’s degrees, 加上516个副学士学位, 370 master’s degrees and 19 doctorate degrees were awarded. The group consisted of both December 2023 and May 2024 graduates.
和, it marked a time to reflect on all that was accomplished during AU President Carlos 坎波’s nine-year administration. 坎波 is concluding his tenure at the university and will officially become CEO of the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.，六月.
Prior to the keynote address, 坎波 was feted by Jim Hess, chair of the AU Board of Trustees. Hess noted many of 坎波’s and his wife Karen’s achievements, including the construction of the 125,000-square-foot Niss Athletic Center where AU commencements now take place. Saturday’s occasion offered plenty of room for family and friends to cheer on the large class and the ability to stay dry from the drizzle outside.
Hess also used the occasion to announce that one of the 坎波’s first projects at the university, the development of a space on the east side of Jack and Deb 米勒 Chapel, will be named the 坎波 Prayer Garden moving forward. Also, a Chapel Prayer Garden Endowment has been established.
坎波, who has always presided over the ceremony as one of his presidential duties, then delivered the commencement speech for the first time. His theme was to “hold fast”—an old phrase that encourages one to stay true to the “things in your life that are critical or important to you.” He explained it through the lens of Hamlet, one of his favorite Shakespearean characters.
“When everyone was pushing (Hamlet) to change, he knew it pushed him farther away from his purpose,坎波说.
把它和现代联系起来, 坎波继续, “Hold fast to 葡京平台线上, 坚守母校. Hold fast to those who you love. It sounds easy, but it can be hard. 并且，抓住永恒. 我们是短暂而永恒的. 除此之外还有别的东西. 当你紧紧抓住永恒, as you hold on to that which feels far away, 确保时间, that investment you’re making is pushing you to be better.”
Several others delivered remarks during the ceremony, including Ashland Mayor Matt 米勒 and graduate Zoe 韦伯, who spoke on behalf of the Class of 2024.
米勒, 非盟校友, compared the investment in an AU education to the millions of dollars being wagered on the Kentucky Derby. “This one comes with guaranteed returns,” he said. 和, he asked the graduates to pray for wisdom in how to “best apply the knowledge and skills that (you’ve) been given here at 葡京平台线上 … to impact your neighbors, 你的家庭, your community and our world forever.”
韦伯, an exercise science and psychology double major from Centerburg, 俄亥俄州, reflected on the challenges her classmates faced, starting their undergraduate careers with the unknowns and stresses related to the pandemic. 而是通过“坚持到底”,” 韦伯 said the Class of 2024 came away with three characteristics they all now share: “perseverance, 勇气和激情.她补充道, “As we all move on to our next chapters of our lives, I hope you are able to carry those three things with you … (and) cherish all of the memories that 葡京平台线上 has given us.”
As valedictorian of the Spring 2024 graduates, 韦伯 was one of four students recognized individually. 卡姆登爱德华兹, 的森伯里, 俄亥俄州, was the salutatorian of the Class of 2024 having completed his integrated science studies. 杰森·密尔兹, a communication studies major from Cedar City, 犹他州, 还有利亚·德布雷西, who stayed in her 首页town (Ashland) and majored in music education, were the valedictorian and salutatorian, 分别, 2023年12月的毕业生名单.
葡京平台线上 is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, 克利夫兰和哥伦布, 俄亥俄州. 亚什兰大学(www.亚什兰.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.