ELON COLLEGE, N.C. – A record 814 graduates will receive degrees from Elon College at commencement exercises Saturday, May 20. The ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. under the oaks in front of West Residence Hall.
Dr. Isabella Cannon, former mayor of Raleigh, N.C., will reflect on her 96 years of life experiences in the commencement address. In an inspiring talk, she will challenge graduates to get involved in their communities, expect surprises in their lives and stay true to their values.
Standing only about 4-foot-eight, Cannon has the energy and ideas of a 20-year-old and a quick wit that charms students. A 1924 Elon graduate, she has spent most of her life involved in leadership and public service. In 1977, at the age of 73, she became the first woman elected mayor of Raleigh and the first female mayor of a state capital city.
The baccalaureate ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. Friday, May 19 in Alumni Memorial Gymnasium in Koury Center. The speaker is the Rev. Dr. William H. Willimon, dean of the chapel and professor of Christian ministry at Duke University, Durham, N.C. He is the author of 45 books and was named by Baylor University as one of the 12 most effective preachers in the English-speaking world.
Also on Friday, 25 graduates receiving master’s degrees in business administration and education will be honored in a special hooding ceremony. The speaker is Thomas K. Manning, vice president of BB&T and a member of the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education. The ceremony will be held at 8 p.m. in McKinnon Hall of the Moseley Center.
Elon Fellows graduates will be honored in a Friday pre-graduation ceremony called
“Leaders of the 21st Century.” Certificates will be given to students who are graduating as North Carolina Teaching Fellows, Elon College Science Fellows, Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows and Elon College Honors Fellows. The ceremony will be held at 5:30 p.m. in McKinnon Hall.
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