The North Charleston Coliseum buzzed with excitement as 227 undergraduate and 65 graduate degrees were conferred during a commencement ceremony May 5.
Judy KneeceThree student awards were presented during the ceremony: Sabrina Horton received the Myrtle E. Hamrick Award for character; Amanda Hobson was awarded the John A. Barry Scholar Award for scholastic achievement; and Melissa Gore received the Carolyn Killen Hunter Outstanding Christian Teacher Endowed Scholarship and Award.
Two faculty members were singled out for honors. History professor John Kuykendall received the Excellence in Teaching Award, and Marian Larisey was granted emeritus status.
The commencement speaker was Judy Kneece, president and CEO of EduCare Inc., which publishes breast health materials, trains nurses and provides strategic planning and consulting for hospitals and breast centers. Kneece recognized a need and established the company 14 years ago. As a certified oncology nurse, she felt the calling to provide a new method of healthcare delivery for the cancer patient.
“In my life, in my family and in my work with cancer patients, I have seen many people come to their journey’s end. Some end their lives at peace. Others end their lives shipwrecked,” said Kneece, who received an honorary doctor of science degree.
Miss CSU Chicora Heyward, a member of the graduating class, said at the commencement exercises, “I feel that CSU has prepared me for the real world in so many different ways. I have grown spiritually, intellectually, mentally, and socially. CSU has such a well-rounded core that each?student willing to be changed for the better will be positively transformed.”