May 7, 2006
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY
CONFERS DEGREES TO 430 GRADUATES
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA. - Pennsylvania
lawmaker Dwight Evans told Lincoln University graduates to
give of themselves without expecting a reward at the institution’s
147th commencement Sunday.
Lincoln conferred degrees to 430
undergraduate and graduate students on a balmy afternoon
as a crowd of about 7,000 listened to the veteran Pennsylvania
lawmaker and loudly cheered the graduates when their names
were called to receive their degrees.
“Your life is
not predetermined,” Evans
said. “Not every situation follows the rules you have
been taught. You can be pragmatic without being cynical.
You can contribute without expecting a return.”
Evans
became an honorary member of the class as he received one
of five honorary degrees. A Democrat in the House of Representatives,
Evans received an honorary doctor of laws degree.
“The
only way to hold on to your dreams is to take ownership of
the world around you,” Evans said. “That
means knowing who you are, knowing what you want in life
and working hard to get there. Create a balance between making
a living and making a life.”
In his remarks, university
President Ivory V. Nelson affirmed the capabilities of the
graduates.
“You are today’s new generation of leaders,
graduates of Lincoln University,” President Nelson
said. “You have the talent to build an exciting future
for yourself, for your loved ones, for your communities and
for your University in these very challenging times.
“You will be called upon to use all
of your talent and intelligence, and all of your diligence
and team-building skills to tackle the incredible complex
challenges ahead of us. And, you will begin to work
the magic you have worked here.
“You have the special
vantage to see what might be. And you have the special quality
of leadership to make it happen. Go for it! You
go with our admiration and our aspirations for the future.”
Lincoln
also honored Philadelphia Councilwoman Marian Tasco with an
honorary doctor of laws degree. Trustee emeritus Theodore Robb
received an honorary doctor of humanities, alumnus Dr. Edward
Lee received a honorary doctor of science and Dr. Peter Odili,
governor of Rivers State, Nigeria, received a honorary doctor
of science.
Darren Robert Dolly, a biology major from Trinidad,
addressed the crowd as the top honor graduate. He graduated
with a 4.1 grade-point average on an A-plus scale. Dolly
encouraged his classmates to make a difference in their chosen
profession. He said the nation has a long list of issues
that need their attention.
President Nelson presented the Hildrus A. Poindexter
Distinguished Research Award to professor Susan Safford and
the Henry G. Cornwell Distinguished Teaching Award to professor
Zoran Milovanovich.
Founded in 1854 and accredited by Middle States,
Lincoln is the first degree granting historically black university
and counts former Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall
and renowned poet Langston Hughes among its graduates.
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