ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Winthrop University’s May 4 and 6 Commencement exercises will celebrate the graduation of nearly 950 students at Winthrop Coliseum.
On May 4, Provost Debra Boyd will preside during the 7 p.m. Graduate Commencement ceremony, where master’s or specialist degrees will be awarded to nearly 230 graduate degree candidates. She also will present the Jane LaRoche Graduate Faculty Award to Siobhan Brownson, an associate professor of English and director of the master of liberal arts program.
On May 6, Boyd will oversee two undergraduate commencement ceremonies.
At the 10 a.m. ceremony, nearly 400 students from the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Visual and Performing Arts will receive degrees. Political Science Professor Scott Huffmon, last year’s Distinguished Professor, will deliver a message to students.
Boyd also will bestow the Distinguished Professor Award on John Bird, a professor of English, and the Outstanding Junior Professor Award on Adam Glover, an assistant professor of Spanish in the Department of World Languages and Cultures.
The 3 p.m. Commencement will be held for those graduating from the Richard W. Riley College of Education and the College of Business Administration. University officials expect nearly 315 seniors in business administration and education at the event, as well as six Think College graduates.
The speaker will be Michael Matthews, associate professor of management who was last year’s recipient of the James Pinckney Kinard and Lee Wicker Kinard Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Rock Hill residents who are not attending the Saturday Commencements may want to stay away from the Winthrop Coliseum area due to the heavy traffic anticipated. Traffic lines are expected on and off from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. along Eden Terrace.
Signs will be posted near the coliseum encouraging those not attending to take a different route. Those who live on Eden Terrace between Richmond Drive and Bradley Street will have access to their residences.
For those who cannot attend, the May 4 and 6 ceremonies will be available 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.
