8_jacksonian_academics
Message to graduates:
‘Tell this world who you are’ M
ore than 1,600 students received hard-earned bachelor’s, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees during two ceremonies at spring commencement. Cory Booker, famed mayor of Newark, N.J., addressed the 1,321 undergraduates at the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. He told them to stand up for what they believe — to continue the fight for freedom and justice for all. “If you stand and tell your truth, you will be the generation that makes real on the promise of this country,” Booker said. “You all have an obligation to stand in this world and tell this world who you are.” During the commencement ceremony, Miss JSU Mea Ashley 2011-12 presented JSU President Carolyn W. Meyers with a check for $12,500 raised during her Miss JSU Queens Campaign. The donation is being matched
by Title III funds to create a $25,000 endowment for scholarships. Also included was a tribute to Dr. Dollye M.E. Robinson, former College of Liberal Arts dean, who earned emeritus status after 60 years at JSU. Jackson State alumnus Maj. Gen. Reuben D. Jones, deputy commanding general for operations at the Installation Management Command in San Antonio, Texas, commissioned three ROTC students into the Army. In his remarks, Jones credited his successful military career to his upbringing in west Jackson and his education at Jackson Public Schools and Jackson State. University of Pennsylvania scholar Marybeth Gasman delivered the commencement address to more than 300 master’s, specialist and Ph.D. candidates at the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center. A historian of higher education, Gasman emphasized the importance of leadership and philanthropy.