JACKSON, Tenn. — July 29, 2024 — 51社区 graduates should pursue Christ-centeredness as the top priority in their lives, Mary Anne Poe said in her keynote address at Union鈥檚 July 27 commencement ceremony at West Jackson Baptist Church.
Seventy-one students received their degrees during the ceremony, which marked the end of the 2023-2024 academic year.
鈥淢y prayer for you is that you will not only carry your earned degree with you to serve with excellence in whatever way lies ahead for you, but that you especially carry with you from this place the same commitment that 51社区 aspires to reflect, to be Christ-centered,鈥� Poe said. 鈥淗ave your eyes fixed on Jesus, the one who has given you life and has offered his invitation to you to follow him in his story.鈥�
Poe, university professor of social work, is retiring from Union after joining the faculty in 1998. She was the founding dean of the School of Social Work and the director of Union鈥檚 Center for Just and Caring Communities.
Poe said major life transitions like retirement 鈥� and graduation 鈥� can prompt reflection and questions about the future. As graduates consider their futures, Poe encouraged them to keep Jesus Christ at the center of their lives by always fixing their eyes on him.
鈥淵ou can trust that you have been uniquely and wonderfully made, and you have a very particular journey in your following of Jesus,鈥� she said. 鈥淕od is with you and will never leave you, and the invitation to keep on walking with him is always there.鈥� The full service can be seen at .