More than 400 Anderson University students are now alumni. They received their degrees during Winter Commencement, taking place December 16 in the Henderson Auditorium of the Rainey Fine Arts Center at Anderson University. There were two Commencement ceremonies.
During the morning ceremony, graduates of the Center for Cybersecurity, Center for Leadership and Organizations, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Education and the School of Public Service and Administration received their degrees.
During the afternoon ceremony, graduates of the College of Christian Studies, College of Engineering, College of Health Professions, School of Interior Design and The South Carolina School of the Arts will receive their degrees.
Patty Slaughter, Ph.D., professor of psychology and chair of the Behavioral Sciences Department, was the commencement speaker.
“Graduates, life is going to be full of rewards and challenges, ups and downs, highs and lows. Embrace them all. Cultivate meaningful relationships. Surround yourself with people who appreciate and respect you, and in the process ignore all the haters. Live a life of genuineness and authenticity. Never try to be or even pretend to be someone or something you aren’t,” said Dr. Slaughter, who shared words of wisdom from the Bible and also the classic children’s book, The Velveteen Rabbit.
“Allow yourself to love and be loved. Make deep, intimate connections with other people and even when loving and being loved makes you feel worn out and looking shabby, and sometimes it might, never regret loving and being loved. Loving others will change you. Being loved by God and accepting His gift of love by faith in and through Jesus will change you infinitely more. Paul wrote in Second Corinthians that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. This is the ultimate answer to the rabbit’s original question ‘what is real?’ New life in Christ. That is real.”
After presenting degrees to the graduates, President Evans Whitaker, Ph.D., welcomed them into the growing community of Anderson University alumni.
“Commencement doesn’t mark an ending but rather a beginning. Each moment of your future is a commencement and is filled with choice and possibility. The choices that you make and the directions that you take from this moment forward will determine how extraordinary your life will be,” Dr. Whitaker said. “You will depart these grounds today as former students, but I encourage you to keep the spirit of this place alive within your hearts forever.”
Videos of each graduation ceremony can be viewed on the graduation page.