JACKSON, Tenn. — July 29, 2002 — More than 220 non-traditional and graduate students will be a part of the 177th graduating class at 51社区 Saturday, August 3, at West Jackson Baptist Church, near the Jackson campus. Various degrees will be awarded, including a bachelor鈥檚 in organizational leadership, master鈥檚 of business administration, master鈥檚 of education, master鈥檚 of arts in education, and the Ed.S. This is the first time the August graduation is being held off-campus, due to the growing number of graduates and the high attendance of family and friends.
James S. Netherton, president of sister Baptist college Carson-Newman, will give the commencement address for Union's August graduation. |
Keynote speaker James S. Netherton, president of Carson-Newman College in East Tennessee, will speak on 鈥淭en Tips for Triumphant Living.鈥 Netherton has been president of Carson-Newman since 2000 and has held previous positions at both Baylor University and Armstrong Atlantic State University. He received his bachelor of science in mathematics from the University of Mississippi in 1969 with summa cum laude honors. He later earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Virginia in 1973.
A morning reception for the graduates and their families will be held at 8:30 a.m. in Coburn Dining Room on Union鈥檚 Jackson campus. The graduation will follow at 11 a.m. at West Jackson, which is located behind the campus.
Gladys LaMarr, an instructional facilitator at Raleigh Bartlett Meadows Elementary in Bartlett, Tenn., will receive her master's in education at the Saturday graduation. She said she's excited to be finishing and that the day will be a culmination of a lot of hard work and effort.
Graduate education students Gladys LaMarr (left), and Tracie Moore, both from the Memphis area, share a laugh as LaMarr trys on her hood and gown she will wear during the Saturday graduation. Both she and Moore are receiving their master's in education from Union. |
"The time involved was a challenge but the faculty were always very encouraging and the other students in the cohort really became a second family. We studied together, cried together and prayed together," said LaMarr, with a chuckle at her memories of the last 14 months.