10 Things about Commencement 2015

Nancy Howell Agee, president and CEO of Carilion Clinic, is the featured speaker at Roanoke College's commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 2 at 10 a.m. Commencement is held on the John Turbyfill Quadrangle, on High Street. In the event of bad weather, the ceremony will be moved to the Salem Civic Center.

The Baccalaureate service is Friday, May 1 at 4:30 p.m. with the Rev. Chris Bowen, Roanoke's Dean of the Chapel, as the featured speaker.

Here are 10 things you should know about Commencement activities:

1. Roanoke will award degrees to 452 graduates. Two honorary degrees will be awarded. 

2. Graduates of the Class of 2015 hail from 28 states. 

3. Graduates have earned one of three degrees: 234 earned Bachelor of Arts degrees; 149 earned Bachelor of Science degrees; and 69 earned Bachelor of Business Administration degrees.

4. The Commencement exercises will be webcast for those who cannot attend. The link can be found at roanoke.edu/commencement. 

5. Nancy Agee will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. She is the president and CEO of Carilion Clinic. She oversees a multi-specialty physician group of 1,000 physicians, seven hospitals and multiple complimentary business lines, including the Jefferson College of Health Sciences.

6. New York-based artist and writer Makoto Fujimura will receive an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts. Fujimura is an artist, writer, speaker and recipient of the American Academy of Religion's "2014 Religion and the Arts" award. He is recognized worldwide as a cultural shaper. He was a presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts from 2003-2009.

7. Roanoke's valedictorian is Ann Jordan Shreckhise, of Grottoes, Va. Shreckhise is a Phi Beta Kappa member and a Biology major. She has worked as an undergraduate research assistant with Dr. Matt Rearick in the Health and Human Performance department. Their research looked at physiological demands on women's lacrosse players and later they studied the impact of short exercise on people's moods. Next month, she starts a doctorate program in physical therapy at Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences in Fishersville, Va.

8. Alexander Paul Berryman, of Moyock, N.C., is the salutatorian. Berryman majored in sociology. As a Summer Scholar, he studied transportation and economic volatility among rural, low income families. In the fall, he is heading to Virginia Tech's urban affairs and planning graduate program.

9. Three of graduates have been anonymous performers posing as Rooney, Roanoke's maroon-tailed hawk mascot. Their identities are revealed at Commencement.

10. Four retiring faculty members will be recognized with the Simon Carson Wells Medal. They are Dr. Charles Early, professor of psychology; Dr. Jan Lynch, professor of psychology; Dr. Larry Lynch, professor of business administration, and Dr. Jeffrey Spielman, professor of mathematics.

For all the details to plan the perfect Commencement weekend, visit roanoke.edu/commencement.