Ohio Wesleyan to Celebrate Class of 2015 Baccalaureate, Commencement
Ohio Wesleyan President Rock Jones welcomes guests to OWU’s 2014 baccalaureate. The celebration traditionally opens with a parade of students carrying flags of every country represented by the graduating class. OWU’s 2015 baccalaureate will be held May 9. (Photo by Paul Vernon)
Community Invited as Students Reflect Upon OWU Journeys May 9, Receive Diplomas May 10
DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University’s graduating seniors will reflect upon their college experiences May 9 at baccalaureate and then receive their diplomas May 10 during OWU’s 171st annual commencement exercise. Wil Haygood, author of “The Butler,” will provide the keynote address at the graduation ceremony.
Baccalaureate will begin at 7:30 p.m. May 9 in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. The annual event is planned by students with assistance from the Office of the Chaplain. It typically features poetry and verse readings, personal reflections, and dance and music performances. Ohio Wesleyan’s Religious Life Awards also are presented during baccalaureate.
“Our goal is to reflect and to celebrate thoughtfully and joyfully on our four years of spiritual and intellectual journey together here at OWU,” said seniors Annie Pappenhagen, Zack Paull, and Jack Kubicki, who are among those helping to plan this year’s baccalaureate.
“With this in mind, the Class of 2015 Baccalaureate Committee has chosen the theme ‘On the Threshold of Home,’ ” the students said. “We feel this theme reflects the nature of our class; we are on the threshold of leaving our OWU community and making our new home wherever we may be. Yet, through our common education, we have created an entirely new family that will be with each of us for the rest of our lives.”
Ohio Wesleyan’s graduating seniors then will gather at 1 p.m. May 10 to receive their diplomas, turn their tassels, and conclude their undergraduate careers. Commencement will be held outside Merrick Hall, 65 S. Sandusky St., Delaware, and is open to the public. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved into Gordon Field House inside the Branch Rickey Physical Education Center, 105 S. Sandusky St., Delaware, where admission is by ticket only.
During the ceremony, Ohio Wesleyan will award keynote speaker Haygood an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in recognition of his many scholarly and personal achievements. Haygood is a Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist whose Washington Post article about former White House butler Eugene Allen inspired the 2013 movie “The Butler.” Haygood served as the film’s associate producer and authored the accompanying book.
Haygood also is the author of critically acclaimed biographies of Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr., entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., and boxer Sugar Ray Robinson. Haygood’s next book, “Showdown: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination that Changed America,” will be released in October.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Haygood was the first in his family to attend college. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio, where he currently is completing a three-year faculty appointment.
Elizabeth Tierney Fisher, president of the OWU Class of 2015, also will speak during the graduation celebration. She is a music major from West Chester, Ohio.
Both Ohio Wesleyan’s baccalaureate and commencement ceremonies will be streamed live online at https://www.owu.edu/about/follow-owu/stream-owu/. Learn more about the events at https://www.owu.edu/academics/commencement/.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers 86 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan combines a challenging, internationally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities to connect classroom theory with real-world experience. OWU’s 1,750 students represent 46 U.S. states and territories and 43 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.