Elon awarded a record number of degrees during Saturday's commencement exercises. Details...
This was a day of firsts for Elon University.
Elon awarded a record 897 degrees during its 112th commencement exercises, held under the historic oaks of Elon’s campus on a sunny May 25th.
This was the first commencement since Elon became a university last June. MBA graduate Andrew Arico was the first to receive an Elon University diploma, and Kristin Abbamonte received the first undergraduate degree. “I’m really honored to have gone to Elon, and it’s neat to be the first undergraduate to receive a ‘university’ diploma,” Abbamonte said. “I couldn’t have had a better experience than I had here at Elon.”
The day also brought a first for philosophy professor John Sullivan, who delivered Elon’s commencement address after being the backup speaker for 22 years. Sullivan’s speech, “A Story with Three Lessons,” started with a Passover tale told by Iraqi Jews, in which a slave becomes king. “Going from slave to free is a story of growing up, the story of going from dependence to independence,” he said. “You arrive at university caught in conversations about what others, what the college, what the university can do for you. If your education is truly liberating, you begin to see that we are co-responsible to make Elon and the world what it is and can be.”
Sullivan also spoke of the importance of serving others and encouraged the crowd to learn from adversity. “So this day and tomorrow and all the tomorrows given to you — may your heartbeat remind you of your most treasured possessions: to be free, to be of service, not to forget where you came from so that you can meet everyone with a compassionate heart,” he said.
Sullivan, introduced by President Leo M. Lambert as “a legendary teacher and a beloved colleague,” was asked to deliver this year’s commencement address when former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison withdrew. “Finally, his moment has arrived,” said Lambert. “It is not an exaggeration to say that without John Sullivan, Elon would not be where it is today.”
Graduates, families and faculty packed the area under the oaks to hear Sullivan’s much-anticipated address. About thirty members of the Richberg family came from as far as Atlanta and New York to see Tiffany, a communications major, receive her bachelor of arts degree. “People came from all over to see our Tiffany graduate,” said her mother, Barbara. Her father, Leon, arrived at 7 a.m. to save a row of seats for the family’s reunion at graduation. “We want to continue a family tradition in glorious times,” he said with a proud smile.