JH
James Huddleston
  • Class of 2015
  • Pontiac, MI

James Huddleston Graduates from Ohio Wesleyan University

2015 Jul 2

James Huddleston of Pontiac, MI, graduated May 10, 2015, from Ohio Wesleyan University. Huddleston earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Ohio Wesleyan's Class of 2015 included 350 spring, summer, and fall graduates, with 62 cum laude, 20 magna cum laude, and 20 summa cum laude honorees. Award-winning journalist and author Wil Haygood delivered the keynote address.

"You'll leave here, and you'll be presented with all kinds of decisions and opportunities," Haygood, author of "The Butler: A Witness to History" told the graduating seniors. "And you'll vote on them. I want you to vote to believe. I want you to vote to help end poverty and hunger. I want you to vote to give our nation more accountable police departments. I want you to vote to heal religious and racial strife. I want you to vote to aid your neighbors in need, to help a friend who might be being picked on because of their sexual orientation."

As a foreign correspondent, Haygood was taken hostage by Somali rebels in 1990 and rescued by Pakistani troops. Later that year, he was standing outside the South African prison housing Nelson Mandela when the anti-apartheid legend was released. Haygood's latest book, "Showdown: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination that Changed America," will be released in September 2015.

During the ceremony, Ohio Wesleyan awarded Haygood an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in recognition of his scholarly and personal achievements.

In addition to Haygood, Elizabeth Tierney Fisher, Ohio Wesleyan's 2015 senior class president, spoke before the crowd of graduates, families, and friends gathered for the outdoor ceremony in front of historic Merrick Hall.

Fisher, a music major from West Chester, Ohio, told her classmates that Ohio Wesleyan had prepared them for whatever challenges lay ahead.

"The education that we take from this institution is one that will stand the test of being on our own," Fisher said. "We have learned, not only the things that matter for our career paths, but also, how to be a member of our global community."

Ohio Wesleyan President Rock Jones, Ph.D., also addressed the graduating seniors, telling them they were "not the same people who arrived here four years ago."

"Today you join a small and highly privileged group of individuals who have the benefit of and bear the marks of a liberal education," Jones said. "Many people today question the value of a liberal arts education. I question the value of a society that lacks the benefit of liberally educated human beings. Our society depends on you to take full advantage of this rare qualification.

"Today I challenge you to accept the responsibility that accompanies this privilege, to be the best person you can be, to do the most good you can do, and to compliment your life of work with a life of service to the common good and appreciation for truth and beauty in the many and various forms in which they appear."

For more information about Ohio Wesleyan's 2015 commencement, including a webstream of the event, visit http://commencement.owu.edu. For more information about attending Ohio Wesleyan, visit http://choose.owu.edu.

***Indicates summa cum laude honors (3.90 GPA and above). **Indicates magna cum laude honors (3.75 to 3.89 GPA). *Indicates cum laude honors (3.50 to 3.74 GPA).

Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers 86 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan combines a challenging, internationally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities to connect classroom theory with real-world experience. OWU's 1,750 students represent 46 U.S. states and territories and 43 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book "Colleges That Change Lives," listed on the latest President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review "best colleges" lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.

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