The campus of Immaculata University is always beautiful, but the month of May presents one of the most beautiful and special times of year as the culmination of everything that the students work toward: graduation day.
The 99th commencement ceremonies were held on Friday, May 12 for graduate students and concluded on Sunday, May 14 with ceremonies for traditional undergraduate students in the morning and adult undergraduate students in the afternoon. In all, 487 students graduated from Immaculata this academic year.
“Commencement is a very special day for our graduates, and we are so pleased to recognize their hard work and accomplishments,” stated Immaculata President Barbara Lettiere ’72. “We wish them well as they begin their careers or go on to further studies. It is a proud day for the graduates, their families and friends and all of us at Immaculata University.”
Eighteen students received academic medals during the ceremonies. In addition, President Lettiere bestowed honorary degrees upon each of the three commencement speakers. In her speech, Tiffany Gill ’04, MLS (ASCP) urged the students earning advanced degrees to answer the door and accept unknown challenges. In her address to the traditional-age graduates who earned associate and bachelor’s degrees, Nicole Lacoste Folks ’91, JD, MCP emphasized the importance of traveling. And country music radio host Andie Summers challenged the adult undergraduate students to serve others.
Mighty Mac Cadets
Before receiving their undergraduate degrees, Rita McDowell and Carson McNally attended a special ceremony with their family, friends and members of the Immaculata community.
McDowell and McNally are the first two Immaculata students to complete the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps program and be commissioned as U.S. Army Second Lieutenants. To mark the significance of the occasion, the two new graduates opted to hold their swearing in ceremony into the Pennsylvania Army National Guard on their commencement day. They were sworn in by George Schwartz, Ed.D., an assistant professor at Immaculata and a retired brigadier general from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
Schwartz addressed the cadets and their guests and noted the students’ challenging journeys that included taking 18 credits in military science classes, early morning physical training sessions at West Chester University, weekends spent on field training exercises and a rigorous six-week summer camp at Fort Knox in Kentucky. “Not everyone who starts ROTC makes the cut,” he stated.
