ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Sixty years after she first entered Winthrop College as its first African-American student, Dr. Cynthia Plair Roddey ’67 will stand before the latest Winthrop University graduates to give them advice.
Roddey is the Commencement speaker for two undergraduate ceremonies on May 4 at Winthrop Coliseum. She will tell the Class of 2024 about lessons she has learned during decades of service in the education field.
Commencement represents the end of the academic year, as well as the end of a chapter for hundreds of Winthrop students finishing their degrees. A Graduate Commencement for 200 candidates is set for May 2, while more than 580 undergraduates will receive their diplomas at two ceremonies on May 4.
Winthrop University President Edward Serna ’02 will preside over the ceremonies and will present Roddey with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. The degree conferral comes as Winthrop commemorates the 60th anniversary of integration throughout the year.
When Roddey entered Winthrop in the summer of 1964, the Catawba native was a married teacher with sons, ages one and two, and had earned two bachelor’s degrees from Johnson C. Smith University. She was awarded an M.A.T. in library science in August 1967, becoming Winthrop’s first African-American graduate student.
She held jobs in every grade from Head Start through the college level over 55 years, retiring in April 2017. During its Fall Convocation, Clinton College recognized Dr. Roddey for 23 years of service. During her tenure there, she held the positions of professor, college librarian, director of information services, head of faculty, chair of the English department and head of the community technology outreach to senior citizens.
A scholarship and the Roddey-McMillan Record, a monthly multicultural student newspaper at Winthrop, both carry Roddey’s name. She has continued to give her time to Winthrop by participating in various panels to discuss her Winthrop experience and integration along with offering advice and words of wisdom to current students.
Winthrop’s Commencement schedule is as follows:
Thursday, May 2, Winthrop Coliseum – Graduate Commencement
7 p.m. – Candidates will be hooded as part of the ceremony to receive their master’s or specialist degrees. The Jane LaRoche Graduate Faculty Award will be presented to Kori Bloomquist, an associate professor in the Department of Social Work in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Saturday, May 4, Winthrop Coliseum – Undergraduate Commencement
10 a.m. – Baccalaureate degrees will be awarded to graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences and College of Visual and Performing Arts. During the ceremony, Hope Lima, assistant professor of human nutrition, will be recognized with the Outstanding Junior Professor Award and Bradley Cannon, managing editor of the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, will be recognized with an honorary Bachelor of Arts in psychology degree in conjunction with Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology.
3 p.m. – Baccalaureate degrees will be presented to graduates from the College of Business Administration and the Richard W. Riley College of Education, Sport, and Human Sciences, and the Distinguished Professor Award will be given to Philip Gibson, professor of finance.
Rock Hill residents who are not attending the Commencement ceremonies may want to stay away from the Winthrop Coliseum area due to the heavy traffic anticipated during the two days. Signs will be posted near the coliseum encouraging those not attending to take a different route.
For those who cannot attend the May 2 and May 4 ceremonies, they will be available for viewing via live stream on YouTube. Please visit the university’s homepage and click on the “Commencement Information” graphic to access the video and other important information regarding Commencement.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at 803/323-2404 or longshawj@winthrop.edu.
