NORTH CAROLINA
ESLEYAN
COLLEGE
The Decree
Rocky Mount, N.C.
VOL. 16, NO. 8
^^Wesleyan^s Student Voice Since 1984’’
FRIDAY, MAY 11,2001
Commencement
set for Saturday
LAILA GHAFUR
THEREASA BRADLEY
Ghafur, Bradley
win major honors
Each year the Wesleyan com
munity recognizes two graduat
ing seniors with the President’s
Cup Award and the Algernon
Sydney Sullivan Award.
Dr. Charles Glassick, interim
president, presented the Algernon
Sydney Sullivan Award to
Thereasa Bradley and President’s
Cup award to Laila Ghafur dur
ing the Honors Convocation.
Nominations were accepted
from the entire Wesleyan com
munity. The President’s Honor
List, the President’s List, and a
list of graduating seniors were
posted on the VPAA’s bulletin
board for information.
Once nominations were re
ceived, a ballot was prepared list
ing the names, and the vote was
cast.
Criteria for the President’s Cup
are that the recipient be a gradu
ating senior and display a high
standard of academic perfor
mance, leadership and service to
the college, and further the ideals
and goals of the college.
Other nominees for the Presi
dent’s Cup were Shawn Ander
son, Grant Ambrose, Jeff Bama,
Alyssa Battle, Thereasa Bradley,
Nick Buonocore, Danney Dailey,
Laura Hilbert, and Candace
Parker.
Criteria for the Algernon
Sydney Sulhvan Award are that
the recipient be a graduating se
nior and display compassion and
love for one’s fellow humans, ad
herence to Christian ideals, cour
teous and gentle behavior, and ac
tive particiaption in the college
or community affairs.
Other nominees for the
Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award
were Shawn Anderson, Nick
Buonocore, Danney Dailey, Laila
Ghafur, Laura Hilbert, Teresa
Rossi, Mel Silver, and James
Stevens.
North Carolina Wesleyan Col
lege will hold May commence
ment exercises on Saturday, May
12, at 10:30 a.m. on the lawn in
front of the Braswell Administra
tion Building.
A total of 236 students are eh-
gible to participate. Of these, 93
are traditional students, and 143
are adult students from , the
College’s four Adult Degree Pro
gram sites in Rocky Mount, Ra
leigh, Durham, and Goldsboro.
This number is in addition to
the 150 students the College
graduated last December.
N.C. Attorney General Roy
Cooper will deliver the com
mencement address. A Nash
County native. Cooper has served
as a state legislator and Senate
Majority Leader, and as a lawyer,
1
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SPEAKER ROY COOPER
civic leader, community volun
teer, and member of N.C.
Wesleyan’s Board of Visitors.
Student speakers are senior
class president Kenneth Childs, a
computer information systems
major from Northampton, Mass.,
and Gustavo Rodriguez, a busi
ness administration major from
Raleigh’s adult degree program.
The faculty marshal will be
history professor Richard L.
Watson III.
Benny St. Romain, vice presi
dent of the Alumni Association
Board of Directors, will induct
the graduates into the Alumni
Association.
In case of rain, the ceremony
will be held in the Dunn Center.
The decision on where to hold
commencement will be made by
noon on Friday, May 11. If the
ceremony is held inside, seating
will be limited.
Felton to address baccalaureate
The Rev. Dr. Gayle Felton will
speak at the annual baccalaureate
service at North Carolina
Wesleyan College on Friday, May
11, at 7:30 p.m. in the Leon
Russell Chapel.
Rev. Felton, a trustee of N.C.
Wesleyan and a recipient of the
College’s Distinguished Alumni
Award, was a member of the
College’s first graduating class in
1964. She is considered one of
the world’s leading scholars on
the history and development of
baptism in the Methodist Church.
A native of Pinetops, N.C., she
taught social studies and English
in the Edgecombe County public
school system until 1979. Follow
ing her teaching career, she en
tered the ministry and received a
master of divinity degree and a
Ph.D. from Duke University Di
vinity School.
She was ordained a deacon in
the United Methodist Church in
1983 and was ordained an elder
in 1989. She taught religion at
Meredith College and at Duke
University until her retirement in
1997.
She is the author of several
books and numerous articles, and
has lectured throughout the world.
The public is invited to attend
this event.
Academic awards presented at Convocation
Academic Honors Awards are
presented every year to each re
cipient at an Honors Convoca
tion to which all members of the
Wesleyan community are invited
and any visitors are welcomed.
The convocation was held this
year on May 6 in Minges Audito
rium.
Dr. Fred Grissom offered the
Invocation, and Interim President
Dr. Charles Glassick offered a
welcome to all present.
Kenneth Childs, Senior Class
President, followed tradition by
naming and introducing the
Speaker of the Address: Mel
Oliver, Assistant Professor of
Economics, chosen by the Senior
Class as one who represents stu
dents as well as faculty. Oliver
read from one of his favorite
guides to living: What I’ve
Learned in Life.
Dr. Glassick presented the
Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award
to Thereasa Bradley and
President’s Cup award to Laila
Ghafur.
The Academic Awards were
introduced by Dr. Marshall
Brooks, Dean of the College and
Vice President of Academic Af
fairs. Each set of awards is pre
sented by the appropriate depart
ment chair, dean, or director.
Dr. Paul J. deGategno, Chair,
Humanities Division: Freshman
Writing Award; Claude Marsolle;
Theatre Award: Alhson Dore; and
Senior English Award: Grant
Ambrose.
Ms. Gail Stafford, Chair,
Mathematics & Science Division:
Biology Award: Shawn Ander
son; Exercise Science Award:
Patrick Bullard and Chontae’
Uptegrow; Environmental Sci
ence Award: Marilyn Johnson;
Mathematics Award: Laura Hil
bert; and the Don Scalf Scholar
ship: Jami Rich, Courtney
Wormuth, Chontae’ Uptegrow,
Jason Maurer, and Matthew Zoll.
Dr. Barbara Perry-Sheldon,
Chair, Education and Social Sci
ences Division: Political Science
Award: Alyssa Battle; Psychol-
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