Approximately 900 graduates will receive degrees during Elon University’s 114th commencement exercises Saturday, May 22. The ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. under the oaks in front of West Residence Hall.
President Emeritus J. Earl Danieley, a 1946 graduate and a staff member for 58 years, will deliver the commencement address. Danieley, 79, who served as Elon’s president for 16 years, is a legendary figure on campus. He came to Elon as a student in the fall of 1941, joined the faculty in the fall of 1946 to teach chemistry, went on to become dean and was named president in 1957. At the time, he was one of the youngest college presidents in the country.
During his 16 years as president, he guided Elon to a new level of quality. Improvements were made in academic standards, faculty credentials and the physical plant.
An Alamance County native, Danieley stepped down from the presidency in 1973 to return to the classroom. He was named director of planned giving at Elon in 1987 and held that position until 1998, when he again returned to teaching.
The baccalaureate ceremony will be held at 3 p.m., Friday, May 21 in Alumni Memorial Gymnasium in Koury Center. The speaker is The Most Rev. Thomas Gumbleton, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Elon Fellows graduates will be honored in a Friday pre-graduation ceremony called “Leaders for the 21st Century.” Recognition will be given to students who are graduating as North Carolina Teaching Fellows, Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows, Elon Science Fellows, Social Science Scholars, Arts and Humanities Scholars, Jefferson-Pilot Business Fellows, Journalism and Communications Fellows and Elon Honors Fellows. The ceremony will be held at 4:30 p.m. in McCrary Theatre.
Students earning Master’s of Business Administration degrees will be honored in separate commencement exercises Friday, May 21. The ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Whitley Auditorium.
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