Spring Commencement Honored History, Featured Firsts
1867–2017 By Eric Addison
Morgan’s 141st Spring Commencement had a wealth of history, as the University continued its yearlong Sesquicentennial Celebration. Former U.S. Vice President Joseph R. Biden delivered the keynote address to a large audience of bachelor’s degree candidates, recent master’s degree and doctoral graduates, faculty, administrators and guests gathered for the Undergraduate Commencement Exercises at Morgan’s Hughes Stadium on Saturday, May 20. Biden, philanthropist and educator C. Sylvia Brown and Sheldon Goldseker, founding board chair of the Goldseker Foundation, received honorary Doctor of Public Service degrees during the ceremony, and veteran broadcast journalist and Morgan graduate April Ryan received an honorary Doctor of Laws. Prominent businessman, political activist and community advocate Michael E. Cryor, of Morgan’s Class of 1968, was recognized as Alumnus of the Year. Morgan’s three living former presidents attended the event, joining current President David Wilson, Ed.D. on the platform, in another historic moment for Maryland’s designated public urban research university. Two days earlier, on Thursday, May 18, Morgan’s advanced degree candidates received their diplomas in separate Commencement Exercises for the School of Graduate Studies, at the Carl J. Murphy Fine Arts Center — yet another first for the University. The 50th anniversary of the Class of 1967 — which was also Morgan’s Centennial Class — coincided with the 150th anniversary of their alma mater, which gave added significance to the presence of the class members at the Undergraduate Exercises. The “Soulful Centennials” of ’67 entered the stadium near the front
Brittany Webb
of the processional, standing out in their goldcolored regalia. The members of the Class of 2017 who followed included Morgan’s largest class of ROTC commissioned officers in two decades. They also included countless stories of success.
‘One of the Best’ Brittany Webb, an accounting major from Baltimore, was among the undergraduates gathered on the academic quad just before Commencement. An intern with Northrop Grumman Corporation, she was headed to a full-time job in the company’s Professional Development Program. Aaron Edmond, from Pasadena, Md., was looking forward to receiving his degree in electrical engineering and starting his professional career with Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems in Orlando, Fla. John Williams, of Baltimore, was also excited to be taking his degree to the work world, where he’d landed a job in construction management at The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company. He called Morgan’s Construction Management program “tough” and “really dynamic.” Karé Collins, of Sicklerville, N.J., and Shayla Woods, from Maryland’s Eastern Shore, were soon-to-be graduates in industrial engineering. Collins planned to continue her education as a graduate student, and Woods had plans to work in product management at an Eastern Shore firm. Mofareh Alsharmah was also headed home after graduation. An international student, he was excited about benefiting his home country of Saudi Arabia with his new skills in civil engineering.
Aaron Edmond
John Williams
Karé Collins & Shayla Woods
Morgan, he said, “was an amazing experience with a great school. I’ve been to many schools, and (Morgan is) one of the best.” Mofareh Alsharmah
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MORGAN MAGAZINE VOLUME I 2017
MORGAN.EDU