May Graduates; Alumni Updates; Faculty & Staff News

Under blue skies and with a light breeze cooling the air, Class of 2017 graduates and their families gathered early Sunday morning, May 21, in the South Beach area for the Commencement Ceremony. Led by bagpipers, the graduates processed, by collegium, from the robing area in Fox Hall ,past the library and dorms, and into the massive tent to hear speakers mark the occasion and to receive awards and diplomas.

Eckerd College President Donald R. Eastman III presents
PEL graduate Lora Vineberg '17 with the Irving G. Foster Award.

Among the people honored during the ceremony were PEL seniors Lora Vineberg and Gladys Hall, both of whom majored in Business Management. 

Vineberg was awarded the Irving G. Foster Award given to a PEL graduate who has demonstrated overall academic achievement. The award is named in honor of the late Irving G. Foster, Professor Emeritus of Physics, who played a major role in the design and inception of the Program for Experienced Learners.

Eckerd College President Donald R. Eastman III presents
PEL graduate Gladys Hall '17 with the
David and Blanche Colgan Memorial Prize.

Hall received the David and Blanche Colgan Memorial Prize given to a PEL graduate who has demonstrated extraordinary determination and perseverance in achieving a solid academic record and who exemplifies the spirit of life-long learning. The award is provided through the generosity of Trustee Mary Miller (PEL '97) in memory of her parents, David and Blanche Colgan.

PEL graduate Richard Schomp '17 (Organizational Studies)

Scroll below to see a list of the graduates, some of the images from the ceremony, and graduating PEL senior Teresa A. Stewart's Commencement speech.

Or read all the speeches and view all 608 images of the Sunday morning ceremony in the College's online photo album by going to the 2017 Commencement page.

Please note: A number of PEL seniors who plan to graduate in August 2017 also participated in the ceremony. The list below includes only students whose official graduation date falls in August 2016, December 2016, or May 2017.

courtesy of SweetClipArt.com

Congratulations!!!

Warmest congratulations to these PEL students who completed their programs of studies and graduated during the 2016-2017 academic year.

May 2017

Christine M. Aderhold, Media & Film Concentration

Carla Baker, Concentration in American Culture/Minorities Studies

Steven E.Ballinger (D), American Studies

Jonathan Booker, Human Development

Jessica M. Bossen (D), Business Management

Edward J. Bozeman (HH), Business Management

Samantha Browning, Humanities

Dawn R. Bryant, Human Development

Sylvie Cantin (D), Human Development

Angelina R. Capobianco (HH), Business Management

Stacey Clarke, Human Development

Charles D. Claybaker (H), Business Management

Kim C. Cobham, Human Development

Ludy Cole, Business Management

Michell L. Cox, Organizational Studies

Craig A. Cranston (D), Humanities

Christel Dykes (D), Business Management

Lorraine Eastman, Organizational Studies

Teresa R. Flournoy, Human Development

Davie Gill, Sports & American Culture Concentration

Kenneth L. Grimes, Business Management

Gladys Hall, Business Management

Megan L. Halloran, Business Management

Molly C. Henry (HH), Concentration in American Culture & Society

James Hill (D), Business Management

Joshua P. Hunziker (D), Business Management

Kristen L. Inoa (D), Business Management

Quandala Johnson (HH), Management

Christopher J. Kelaher, Organizational Studies Concentration

Michelle J. Kiekenapp Nelson (HH), Creative Writing Concentration

Jamie E. Klempner, Organizational Studies Concentration

Benjamin Labay, Business Management

Joshua T. Lewis (H), Business Management

Bradley Lowe, Business Management Concentration

Rachel A. Luna. Human Development

Catherine M. McBride (HH), American Studies

Dorice M. Michalik (D), Business Management

Timothy J. Mineo, Business Management

Joseph C. Mobilio, Business Management

Yadira L. Montes Rivera (HH), Humanities

Courtney Niedens, Business Management

William Morelli (D), Organizational Studies

Tashauna L. Nobles, Business Management

Kelly L. Pickering (D), American Studies

Katherine C. Quinn, Global Business Concentration

Stephan L. Ralph, Business Management

Jared B. Rishel (D), American Studies

Tanya M. Rotter (H), Humanities

Jeanne A. Salvo (D), American Studies

Richard Schomp, Organizational Studies

Kelly A. Schooley, Humanities

Christopher Shaun, Business Management

Emily P. Strickland, Concentration in American Culture & Communication

Zachary C. Thompson, Visual Arts

Jeanette I. Ventrone (HH), Human Development

Theresa G. Vess (HH), Business Management

Lora D. Vineberg (HH), Business Management

Caitlin Q. Wells (HH), Human Development

Shirley Wells, Business Management

Kimberly Whitford (H), Human Development


December 2016

Yvonne C. Comeau, Humanities

Ricky Counts, Human Development

Priska Green (HH), Business Management

Charissa A. Jackson, Human Development

Jason W. Malpass (HH), Creative Writing 

Peter Marer (HH), Business Management

Bonnie L. Mason, Creative Writing

Daniel McGlone, Business Management

Andrew J. O'Connell (H), Humanities

Daryl L. Osburn (H), Human Development

AKM R. Rahman, Business Management

Natalie Ricketts, Human Development

Stephen Sabella (HH), Business Management

Sandra Singleton (D), Human Development

Teresa A. Stewart (HH), Human Development

Cecilia Walker, Business Management
Lisa Washington, Human Development

August 2016

Richard P. Anglewicz (D), Business Management Major
Sherry Ball (H), Organizational Studies Major
Robert M. DiPalma (D), Humanities
Melanie R. Ducane, Human Development
Aaron Flinn (D), Business Management Major
James C. Fort, Environment & American Culture Concentration
Rashad Lewis, Business Management Major
Regina A. Perkins (HH), Organizational Studies Major
Thomas J. Pyche, Business Management Major
Monica L. Taylor (HH), Business Management Major

 HH - High Honors; H - Honors; D - Distinction

 

Alumni News

Edward G. "Teddy" Baldwin '99 (American Studies) was inducted into the Eckerd College chapter of Phi Beta Kappa this last week as an alumni member. Baldwin earned his Juris Doctor degree from George Washington University Law School in 2003 and currently is a partner in the Baker McKenzie law firm in Washington, D.C., where his practice focuses on international arbitration, transactional litigation, sovereign immunity issues, and enforcement of judgments and awards.

Dean Lloyd Chapin, president of the Zeta Chapter of Florida, noted that Phi Beta Kappa is the nation's oldest and most prestigious academic honor society.


Renee Hamad '10 (Human Development), a retired concert pianist and philanthropist, was honored in April at the eighth annual Sertoma Sarasota Celebrity Roast. Sertoma is an international service organization whose primary projects help people with speech, hearing, and language disorders. Local chapters develop other projects based on community needs. The event honoring Hamad benefited Sertoma Kids Speech Therapy, which provides speech/language therapy for Sarasota area children in the Sarasota area with communication challenges regardless of their families' abilities to pay. An article in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune noted that Eckerd College adjunct professor Tom Honsa was one of the participants roasting Hamad, who was the first woman the Sarasota chapter has so honored.

Remembering . . .

William Sanford Scott III '95 (Business Management Concentration) of Venice, Fla., who died April 1, 2017. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/heraldtribune/obituary.aspx?pid=185003555

Faculty / Staff  News

Professor Sergei Novikov was honored recently for 25 years of service to Eckerd College. Novikov earned his Ph.D. from  Moscow State University – known as “the Russian Harvard” – with a degree in International Political Economy and served for a time as one of a group of economic advisors to Mikhail Gorbachev. Novikov teaches courses in international business and in Russian culture.

Plan now for May 2017 Graduation & Commencement Festivities

Left: Sandra Hollander, assistant to the PEL Assistant Registrar, helps a student with his robes at the 2016 Commencement. If you would like to volunteer to help with this year's Commencement, please contact Sandra Hollander at hollanas@eckerd.edu. 


Planning to graduate in May? Here's what you need to know about what's due when and about what the commencement ceremony is like:

Deadlines for forms and course completion

Students planning to graduate in May should review their degree plans carefully and consult with their advisors to ensure that all degree requirements have been met.  Degree plans are available online through ECWeb at http://my.eckerd.edu.

• Apply for Graduation by March 1. Click on the link to find the Graduation Application. Email the signed and completed form to PEL Assistant Registrar Sharon Clawson at clawsosa@eckerd.edu or fax it to (727) 864-8422.

• Complete and submit Portfolio Learning Statements and other experiential credit documentation by March 17. Contact PEL Associate Dean of Faculty Margret Skaftadottir if you have difficulty meeting this deadline.

• Complete CLEP/DSST exams by March 17 to ensure official scores are received before May 19. Check with your advisor to be sure the test credit meets the requirements of your degree plan. Contact Anne Anderson at (727) 864-8884 or by email at andersaw@eckerd.edu to schedule CLEP/DSST exams. 

• Compete all Directed Study, Independent Study, Comprehensive Exams by Directed Study, Senior Thesis, and/or Senior Project courses by April 30. Not only do professors need time to post grades, but all degree plans must be double-checked after all grades have been entered.

• Defend Creative Writing thesis by May 1 AND submit thesis in final, archiveable form by May 5. Contact Anne Anderson at (727) 864-8884 or by email at andersaw@eckerd.edu for help in reserving a room for the defense.

Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 21

Graduation under the tent is a festive affair / 2016

Graduation may mark the end of long hours of studying, of class discussions, and of writing papers and taking exams, but it is the beginning -- the commencement -- of life as a college graduate, of new opportunities, and of new ways to contribute to the world. The Commencement Ceremony celebrates graduates' accomplishments and sends them forth to do good things.

Commencement isn't just about the Sunday morning ceremony, either. Check out the 2017 Commencement website to see the many events that are planned for the weekend, to see a video of one of the largest tents in Florida go up, and to see a slide show of images from last year's events.

Caps and gowns and other information. Watch your regular mail and your email for information about ordering caps and gowns and about graduation festivities. The 2017 Commencement site will be up soon.[NOTE: Effective March 13, 2017, the site is live! Go to: https://www.eckerd.edu/commencement/]

Did you already graduate in August, December, or January and want to participate in the May ceremony? Contact PEL Assistant Registrar Sharon Clawson at (727) 864-8291 or email her at clawsosa@eckerd.edu to confirm that you included this information on your graduation application.

Won't graduate by May, but want to participate in the ceremony? Contact PEL Associate Dean of Faculty Margret Skaftadottir at skaftami@eckerd.edu. Include your request to participate and information about how you plan to complete all courses and other graduation requirements by December 2017. Note: Participating in the ceremony does not mean you have graduated.

PEL is always looking for volunteers to assist with robing on the morning of Commencement. Please email Sandra Hollander at hollanas@eckerd.edu if you are interested in helping out.