A record 255 Anderson University students received their diplomas during commencement exercises May 8.
In one of the South’s most scenic graduation ceremonies, the AU commencement service took place in picture-perfect spring weather beneath the expansive shade of 100-year-old oak trees on the front lawn of the campus.
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham delivered the commencement address, praising the growth and national recognition given to Anderson University over the past three years and urging the graduates to develop the strength to stand up for the values instilled in them by the university. Graham said many of those values are under assault in current American discourse, but, in defending them, students should remember civility and respect.
“I disagree with President Obama on many things,” the senator told attendees, “but I believe it is important to do so with respect. We should cherish the right to have different viewpoints and opinions in this country, but we must remain respectful.”
The senator also said the graduates will be inheriting a “troubled” world as they leave the university.
“These are difficult times you are inheriting,” he said. “Our nation has a troubled economy and the world is at war. We have faced more difficult times than this, however, and I firmly believe our best days lie ahead.”
An honorary doctor of humanities degree was awarded to multiple Grammy award-winning composer, arranger and bandleader, Johnny Mann, who recently composed a new alma mater for the second 100 years of Anderson University. The school was founded in 1911 and will begin celebrating its centennial this fall.
In accepting his honorary degree, Mann explained what drew he and his wife Betty to Anderson University. “I love this university because of what it stands for – faith and learning,” he said.
Anderson granted more than 30 graduate degrees, including those in the first graduating class in the institution’s MBA program. – AU