PC celebrates 130th Commencement

PC celebrates 130th Commencement

The Class of 2013, along with family and friends, gathered under the oaks on PC’s West Plaza on May 11 for the 130th Commencement at Presbyterian College.

web-commencement1“What a day to celebrate,” Dr. Claude Lilly said in his opening remarks. “It is certainly a milestone and a mile marker in your journey of life.”

Lilly, speaking during his first commencement ceremony at PC, offered advice for graduates during this important time in their lives.

“There are those who will tell you that you haven’t been in the real world, but now you’re going to face the real world,” Lilly said. “You’ve worked in teams, dealt with problems, had emotions good and bad, and have been challenged. This is the real world.

“Let your experience here be a lesson in managing your life.”

PC bestowed degrees upon graduates and honorary awards for a select few while the Professor of the Year and Outstanding Senior shared remarks for all in attendance.

Honorary Degrees

Campbell Brown Lanier III ’72, Chairman and CEO of ITC Holding, and William Henry Scott III, President (retired) of ITC Holding, were each granted Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.

Lanier earned his BS degree from PC in 1972 and currently serves as Chairman and CEO of ITC Holding Co., LLC.  A leader in the communications industry, he has been a strong supporter of PC since his graduation.web-honor-degrees

Scott is a graduate of PC, earning his BA in Economics in 1969 and an MBA from the University of Georgia in 1971. His career included the positions of President (retired), ITC Holding; President, ITC Financial Services LLC; Secretary and Vice Chairman, PowelTel Inc.; and Chairman, HeadHunter.NET Inc. Scott has served on the board of directors of numerous companies and organizations.

Scott and Lanier acted to ensure significant advances in programming, lab facilities, and equipment in communications – from adding new faculty and promoting computer science, to creating state-of-the-art teaching theaters – ensuring that technology would be integrated through the entire PC community.

Commencement Addresses

Dr. Margaret McGehee, Associate Professor of English and PC’s Professor of the Year, and Patrick Kennedy, PC’s Outstanding Senior, delivered this year’s commencement addresses.

McGehee’s “Can We Talk?: Engaging in the Twenty-First Century”

In her commencement speech, the 2013 PC Professor of the Year, English professor Dr. Molly McGehee, didn’t talk about what is usually discussed in graduation speeches: what graduates will go out and do in the world or who they might be in the future. Instead, McGehee focused on how they will be: how they will engage in an era of expanding technology and increased globalization.

Kennedy’s “Making it Stick”

This year’s Outstanding Senior, Patrick Kennedy, is the first to tell you that as a freshman, he had no idea how much he would grow and change during his four years at Presbyterian College.

As the son of parents serving as Mission Service Corps volunteers, Patrick learned early in life about the importance of service to others.  This made PC the perfect place to continue his education.