Geneva Celebrates Commencement Ceremonies for 2018 Graduates - Geneva College
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Geneva Celebrates Commencement Ceremonies for 2018 Graduates

Picture of Geneva Celebrates Commencement Ceremonies for 2018 Graduates

(BEAVER FALLS, Pa.) — Geneva College will celebrate commencement exercises for the class of 2018 on Saturday, May 5, 2018, at 10 a.m. for traditional undergraduates and at 3 p.m. for graduates of adult degree and graduate programs. Both commencement ceremonies take place inside Metheny Fieldhouse for the 385 students who are expected to graduate. The traditional undergraduate commencement and the adult and graduate commencement will be streamed live at www.geneva.edu/live.

Baccalaureate will begin the weekend’s activities on Friday, May 4, at 7 p.m. This worship service will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 1103 8th Ave, Beaver Falls, PA 15010. Geneva alumnus, author and pastor, Dr. Dan Doriani ’75 will deliver the sermon. Doriani is Vice President of Strategic Academic Projects and Professor of Theology and Ethics at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, and a Council member of The Gospel Coalition. 

The commencement speaker for traditional undergraduates will be nationally recognized Christian speaker, author and president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world. Mohler is recognized globally by influential publications like Time and Christianity Today as a leader among American evangelicals. Widely sought as a columnist and commentator, he is regularly quoted in many leading American newspapers and TV news programs.  He is a theologian; ordained minister; author of several books; contributor to over 100 published works; host of two programs, “The Briefing,” a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview, and ““Thinking in Public,” a series of conversations with the day’s leading thinkers; and writer of a popular blog and regular commentary on moral, cultural and theological issues.

During the traditional undergraduate ceremony, Geneva will present its highest alumni honor, the "Life G" award, to Robert N. Peirce Jr. and Madelyn (Madge) Woods AdamsThe “Life G” is presented each year to alumni for service above self, those who embody the principles for which Geneva College stands, and whose efforts on behalf of the college, the community, and the nation have been exemplary. Peirce graduated from Geneva College in 1959 and became an attorney. He is currently a Partner for Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C. Attorneys at Law and sponsors a grant/loan program at Geneva. He and his wife, Joan, started the Bob and Joan Peirce Center for Structured Reading Teacher Training for training teachers to tutor dyslexic students. Mrs. Adams graduated from Geneva in 1944 and has served the college in various ways for more than 70 years. She recently established a scholarship in the Chemistry Department to honor her late husband Roy, who was a faculty member for over 50 years. 

An outdoor reception for the graduates and their families will immediately follow the traditional undergraduate commencement ceremony under three designated tents on campus.

Nancy Alderson McDonnell will speak to graduates and families at the adult degree program and master’s degree program ceremony. McDonnell is President and CEO of Value of the Person Consultants and the daughter of the late Wayne Alderson. She received her degree in Communications from Grove City College, magna cum laude, in 1978. Since that time she has been working as the "point woman" for the Value of the Person across the U.S. and Canada. She served for 13 years as the coordinator for the International Labor-Management Prayer Breakfast held annually in Pittsburgh. Each year there were nearly 2,000 labor-management representatives in attendance. In 1994 she worked with her father, Wayne Alderson, as co-author on the book Theory R Management, a collection of case studies of organizations that have achieved exceptional long-term success from the Theory R Management principles taught in the Value of the Person seminars. She is in leadership of Restaurant Holdings. which owns three restaurant concepts, Atrias, Juniper Grill and Ditka's in Pittsburgh and Chicago.

A reception on the lawn of Old Main will follow the graduate and adult commencement ceremony.

Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 80 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, Adult Degree Programs with fully online and classroom options, and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top Three Best Value Regional University with one of the Top 100 engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God’s Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today’s world.

May 4, 2018