Nurses Pinning Ceremony
Thursday, May 7, 2 p.m.
The Nurses Pinning Ceremony will be held in Rodeheaver Auditorium Thursday at 2 p.m. A reception in honor of the graduates will be held at the gazebo following the event and will be open to everyone who attended the ceremony. Additionally, graduates will be standing to greet family and friends in various areas near the Glory Garden and around the Alumni Building.
Family and close friends of graduating nursing students who have received tickets to the event are invited to attend the ceremony and reception. General seating for guests without tickets will open at 1:50 p.m.
Mrs. Lori Shrock, a faculty member in the Division of Nursing, said the Pinning Ceremony is a traditional event for university nursing programs and is an opportunity for the nursing staff to pass the torch to the next generation of nurses. “We’re honoring what they’ve done so far and also what they plan to do with their lives,” Shrock said. At the ceremony, the graduates will dedicate themselves to both the ministry of nursing and to the Lord.
Criminal Justice Recognition Ceremony
Thursday, May 7, 4 p.m.
The third annual Criminal Justice Recognition Ceremony will be held in Levinson Hall Thursday at 4 p.m. The ceremony is open to the public.
BJU President Dr. Steve Pettit, who will speak at the ceremony, will present the graduating criminal justice seniors with a challenge coin, a historical form of recognition in the military and law enforcement.
Dr. Mike Wilkie, a professor in the criminal justice department who initiated the recognition ceremony at BJU, said the challenge coin is a sign of completing the criminal justice program. One side of the coin has the BJU crest, and the other side has the inscription, “Standing valiantly for Christ,” and Romans 15:4 to represent the students’ biblical foundation. Wilkie said working in the criminal justice field is not just a job, and those who choose this field become “ministers of God for righteousness.”
Baccalaureate Service
Thursday, May 7, 7 p.m.
The Baccalaureate Service will be held in the Founder’s Memorial Amphitorium Thursday at 7 p.m., and all BJU students must attend.
Dr. Sam Horn, vice president for ministerial advancement at BJU, will speak, pointing out that graduation should be viewed as a time for celebration, commendation and consideration. Seniors should celebrate this important accomplishment in their lives, be commended for enduring and persevering with the Lord’s help and consider how God wants them to use their education for His glory. Those graduating, Horn said, “have an opportunity of a lifetime, like no other generation has ever had, to reach the world for Christ.”
Horn sends a hearty “Congratulations!” to every graduate. “We don’t know all the things that you had to do to get here,” he said, “but we know that God brought you here.”
The Baccalaureate Service is a standard event at most universities and usually has an academic feel, but BJU uses this event to give a spiritual charge to graduates. Mr. Kyle Wilcox, special assistant to BJU’s president, said the service has a spiritual focus and emphasis. Wilcox said the purpose of the Baccalaureate Service is to remind the seniors going out into the world that God’s Word needs to be central and a priority for their lives.
Alumni Legacy Ceremony and Reception
Thursday, May 7, 8:30 p.m.
The 10th annual Alumni Legacy Ceremony and Reception will be held in Stratton Hall Thursday at 8:30 p.m. after the Baccalaureate Service. Legacy students, seniors who have at least one parent who is an alumnus of BJU, are invited to attend the event with their families. The ceremony will recognize alumni of BJU and present medallions to the graduating seniors.
Mr. Jonathan Pait, manager of events and services for the BJU Alumni Association, said he hopes both the parents and seniors leave the ceremony feeling appreciated. BJU would like to thank parents for making the investment of directing and guiding their children in their choice to attend the University and the seniors for choosing to attend, Pait said.
Weather permitting, a reception with light refreshments will follow the ceremony on the lawn between the Student Center and Administration Building.
Awards Ceremony
Friday, May 8, 8:30 a.m.
An Awards Ceremony will be held in the Founder’s Memorial Amphitorium Friday at 8:30 a.m.
Academic awards will be given to students who won contests within the various academic schools, and awards will also be given to societies, as well as to current and retired faculty and staff for their service.
“The Awards Ceremony is the only time to publicly recognize individuals for their accomplishments,” BJU registrar and director of educational services Dr. Dan Smith said.
This is the first year the Awards Ceremony will not include the Contest Rewards Honors Recital, where winners from several contest categories, such as speech and music, would perform. This year winners of the campus contests will not perform but will receive their award at the Awards Ceremony.
Commencement
Friday, May 8, 2 p.m.
BJU’s 2015 commencement exercises will take place in the Founder’s Memorial Amphitorium Friday at 2 p.m.
Approximately 640 BJU students are expected to graduate with varying degrees this May. The University will award associate degrees in four majors, undergraduate degrees in 54 majors and graduate degrees in 20 majors to graduating students this year.
Following BJU commencement tradition, selected members of the graduating class will give their testimonies after they receive their diploma. This is the first year that the Bob Jones University ceremonial mace, a symbol of authority carried by the president or a high academic official, will be used in a commencement ceremony.