Commencement Ceremonies Hamilton and Brewster Address NCU Graduates spring commencement speaker. He was also chosen by the NCU Board of Trustees to receive an honorary Doctorate of Humanities for his work fighting human trafficking in southeast Asia.
Northwest Christian University’s Board of Trustees conferred undergraduate and graduate degrees for 247 students during the University’s Fall and Spring commencement ceremonies in December 2018 and May 2019. Commencement ceremonies were held the Morse Event Center on campus. “The graduates met the challenges posed by academic rigor while balancing family, work, and campus responsibilities to earn a Christ-centered education,” said NCU President Joseph D. Womack Ed.D. “We are proud of these graduates who have entered the workforce or continue in their professions as beacons of wisdom, faith, and service.” Lane Community College President Margaret Hamilton, Ph.D., gave the fall commencement speech. Dr. Hamilton joined Lane Community College as its seventh president on July 1, 2017. She is a widely respected executive in community college education, strategic planning, accreditation, curriculum development, human relations, workforce and economic development, and in building partnerships with post-secondary education, higher education, business, and industry. Dr. Hamilton and Dr. Womack had recently signed the historic Titan to Beacon agreement creating pathways for Lane graduates to earn bachelor’s degrees at NCU. Prior to Lane, Dr. Hamilton served
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Spring 2019 | The Beacon
Margaret Hamilton, Ph.D., President, Lane Community College
as Vice President for Academic Affairs, Institutional Effectiveness and Planning at Camden County College, where she provided leadership for over 25,000 credit and non-credit students at three locations across southern New Jersey. Her 29-year career in higher education includes leadership positions in academic and student affairs, administrative services, and human resources and labor relations. Dr. Hamilton’s teaching experience in nursing education provided her an opportunity to share her clinical experiences working in urban centers such as Children’s Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, New Jersey, and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Don Brewster, founder of Agape International Missions, was the
In 2005, Don, and his wife Bridget, sold their home in Roseville, California, to move to Cambodia to lead Agape International Missions (AIM), a non-profit organization working to stop the cycle of human exploitation in Cambodia through a holistic approach to effective, lifelong and community-wide transformation. Based on their model, more than 12 programs have been established to support victims of sex trafficking, including a restoration home, a community center and church, the Lord’s Gym, transitional homes, employment centers, an accredited elementary and English language school, outreach programs, and a SWAT Team. Through these initiatives AIM offers children, families and survivors of sex trafficking freedom, spiritual and emotional restoration, and empowerment to pursue a safe, successful future. Since its founding 14 years ago, AIM has impacted more than 7,500 children and adults at-risk or involved in human trafficking through prevention programs; rescued almost 1,200 children, women and men; restored 827 girls and women; and reintegrated 876 survivors back into the community. continued on page 7
