The Bell
Gordon College Presents Degrees to 495 at 124th Commencement
Four hundred and six undergraduates and 89 graduate students received degrees Saturday morning, May 14, at Gordon’s 124th Commencement ceremony, which took place on the quad under sunny skies.
President Michael Lindsay gave the Commencement address, titled Acorns. “Some of you know exactly where you are going,” he said, “but for others, you are still trying to see where God would have you serve. I was in that latter category when I graduated from college. But wherever God takes you, I urge you to take on the attitude of a servant, to bind up the brokenhearted, to comfort those who mourn. If you only hear one thing today, hear this: You are blessed in order to be a blessing to others.”
Three honorary doctoral degrees were conferred. “Their professional lives take place in widely varying spheres, but all three possess outstanding effectiveness in serving the common good, and an enthusiastic devotion to Christian higher education,” said Dr. Lindsay of Simon Shun-Man Ho, President of Hang Seng Management College in Hong Kong; Edward (Woody) L. White, president of The Cecil B. Day Foundation; and Ravi Zacharias, founder and president of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM).
Dr. Roger Green, professor of biblical and theological studies, was honored upon his retirement after more than 40 years of teaching.
Junior and Senior Distinguished Faculty Awards, announced each year at Commencement, are selected by the senior class and a panel of previous awardees. This year’s Junior Distinguished Faculty Award was given to Moisés Park, associate professor of Spanish and communication arts. Stephen L. S. Smith, professor of economics and business, received the Senior Distinguished Faculty Award.
Among the undergraduates receiving Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Music degrees was Collegian of the Year Stephanie Antonucci, a psychology major who spent her pre-college years with her family on the mission field in central Asia. The award recognizes the graduating senior who has made the greatest total contribution while attending Gordon.
An empty chair with a flower on its seat was set among the graduates for Monica DeMello, a member of the Class of 2016 who died in 2013 in a car accident near her home.
Sixty-two graduates received Master of Education degrees; 11 received Education Specialist degrees; and 16 received Master of Music Education degrees.
The ceremony followed Friday evening’s Baccalaureate ceremony held in A. J. Gordon Memorial Chapel, during which Mr. Ravi Zacharias addressed the graduates and their families.
For information or press-ready imagery of the ceremony, or to schedule interviews with participants, contact the Office of College Communications at 978.867.4235 or email [email protected]. The Gordon College website www.gordon.edu will host a selection of imagery of the ceremony early next week (as it becomes available) from the event photography staff.