Elon to graduate record number during May 19 commencement

More than 860 graduates will receive degrees from Elon College at commencement exercises Saturday, May 19. The ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. under the oaks in front of West Residence Hall.

Mike Jensen, an award-winning television journalist who recently retired as NBC’s chief financial correspondent, will deliver the commencement address. Jensen reported on every major economic event during the last three decades, winning acclaim for his coverage of stories ranging from the energy crisis of the 1970s to corporate downsizing in the 1990s. He is the winner of two Janus Awards for excellence in broadcast journalism concerning economic issues.

Jensen earned a National News Emmy Award for his coverage of the 1994 Midwest floods, and he has also covered significant international stories, including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communism in Russia and Poland.

The baccalaureate ceremony will be held at 3 p.m., Friday, May 18 in Alumni Memorial Gymnasium in Koury Center. The speaker is the Rev. Peter Gomes, senior minister at The Memorial Church at Harvard University. He was appointed the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard College in 1974. Gomes is the author of two best-selling books, “The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart,” and “Sermons: Biblical Wisdom for Daily Living.”

Elon Fellows graduates will be honored in a Friday pre-graduation ceremony called “Leaders for the 21st Century.” Certificates will be given to students who are graduating as North Carolina Teaching Fellows, Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows, Elon College Science Fellows, Social Science Scholars, Arts and Humanities Scholars and Elon College Honors Fellows. The ceremony will be held at 4:30 p.m. in McKinnon Hall.

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