John Sullivan, the Maude Sharpe Powell Professor of Philosophy, will deliver the 2002 Commencement address May 25. Details...
Sullivan will deliver the address in place of former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison, who had to cancel her appearance at Elon due to a family illness.
Sullivan has been a member of the philosophy faculty since 1970, earning a reputation as one of Elon’s most respected teachers and scholars. He is a past recipient of the Daniels-Danieley Award for Excellence in Teaching. An active member of the Elon community, Sullivan was selected to offer words of comfort and assurance to a gathering of students, faculty and staff following the September 11 terrorist attacks.
For many years, Sullivan has been prepared to deliver Elon’s Commencement address, should he be required to fill in for a scheduled speaker. “Many of us who know Dr. Sullivan have been anxious to hear his thoughtful comments and look forward to a speech that has been crafted and revised over the course of more than a decade,” says Elon president Leo M. Lambert.
Other members of the Elon community have delivered the Commencement address through the years. President Emeritus Earl Danieley, a 1946 graduate whose career at Elon has spanned more than 50 years, delivered the address at Elon’s 100th Commencement in 1990. And in the milestone year of 2000, the late Isabella Walton Cannon ’24, at age 96, reflected on her life and the life of Elon in her address.