William Carey University will hold commencement ceremonies May 13 and 14, 2016. All ceremonies will be held in Smith Auditorium of Thomas Fine Arts Center on the Hattiesburg campus.
WCU will confer honorary degrees to Deborah Bryant and Joe Frank Sanderson III during commencement on Friday, May 13. The ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. and is for students receiving master's, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees.
The Doctor of Humane Letters will be awarded to Deborah Bryant in recognition of her outstanding work with children's literacy and her work in the aftermath of the devastating tornado that struck Louisville, MS, in 2014. During the first year of her husband's term as governor, Mrs. Bryant visited every county in Mississippi to promote literacy and spent time reading to school children on each visit.
Joe Frank Sanderson III, CEO and chairman of the board of Sanderson Farms will receive the Doctor of Business in recognition of his family's philanthropic work over many decades. Sanderson is credited with saving the Magnolia Classic, the only professional golf tournament played in Mississippi. He also has contributed to Children's Hospital at the University Medical Center and to numerous colleges and universities throughout the state.
The speaker for the ceremony will be Gov. Phil Bryant.
Commencement ceremonies will be held at the following times on Saturday, May 14:
9:30 a.m. - Commencement for the Hattiesburg undergraduate students from the Noonkester School of Arts and Letters, the Fail School of Nursing, and the School of Natural and Behavioral Sciences. Students will line up at 8 a.m. Mr. Gary Shows will be guest speaker. Shows graduated from William Carey College in 1971 and earned a Master of Religious Education from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 1974. He currently serves as executive pastor at Temple Baptist Church in Hattiesburg and has served at churches in Mississippi and Louisiana since 1969.
1 p.m. - Commencement for Hattiesburg campus undergraduate students from the School of Business, School of Education and the Winters School of Music and Ministry. Students will line up at noon. Dr. Franklin Kirksey will be the guest speaker. Kirksey graduated (cum laude) from William Carey University in 1983. While at WCU he was selected Most Promising Student in psychology and was inducted into the Alpha Chi National Honor Society. He received the M.Div. degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 1986 and the D.Min. degree from Southern Baptist School for Biblical Studies in Jacksonville, FL, in 2001. He has served churches in Mississippi, Alabama, and South Carolina for more than 30 years. Since 2004 he has served as pastor of First Baptist Church of Spanish Fort, AL.
4 p.m. - Commencement for undergraduate and graduate students from the Tradition campus. Students will line up at 3 p.m. The Honorable Gay Polk-Payton will be the guest speaker. Polk-Payton currently serves as a judge for Forrest County Justice Court and is owner of Polk-Payton Law Office. She previously served as an adjunct faculty member with University of Southern Mississippi's Human Performance and Recreation Department. Polk-Payton holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from USM, a master's in business administration from the University of New Orleans, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) School of Law. She was admitted to the practice of law in the state of Mississippi in 1996.
For more information about commencement, please call the registrar's office at (601) 318-6195.
About William Carey University: With campuses in Hattiesburg and Biloxi, William Carey University provides quality educational programs within a caring Christian academic community, which challenge the individual student to excel in scholarship, leadership, and service in a diverse global society. For more information, visit www.wmcarey.edu.