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Two hundred and sixty-four Wesley students joined the procession into Charles R. Dashiell, Jr. Amphitheater during the College’s 145th commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 12. Students graduated with Master of Science, Bachelor of Arts, or Associate degrees during the ceremony. Hundreds attended the event to support family, friends, and loved ones for the milestone event.

The ceremony began with a welcome from Wesley Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Dr. Jeffrey Gibson and continued with greetings from Wesley President Robert E. Clark II. “Every one of you have dreamed, you have learned, you have believed, and in a short while, you will become one of the chosen few, you will be the next generation of Wesley College graduates and have the privilege of carrying on the legacy of service and excellence that previous classes helped to establish,” said President Clark.

The Commencement address was delivered by KISS front man and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Paul Stanley. He emphasized to the graduates the importance of believing in yourself.

On behalf of the College and Board of Trustees, Stanley was presented with the Wesley College Award. The award recognizes extraordinary achievements in community service, education, and inspiring of others for the betterment of our communities and society. He also received an honorary master’s degree in Music and the Arts.

During the ceremony, two graduates were honored with the Faculty Award for their hard work and accomplishments during their college career at Wesley. The award is the highest honor given to a graduating student(s) and candidates were selected by the faculty and must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 as well as have demonstrated a contribution to the life of the College. Examples include an active leadership role in student organizations, participation in research, or potential to undertake advanced studies.

The undergraduate recipient of the Faculty Award was awarded to Betty Lee, who graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Lee was on the President’s List for four semesters while attending Wesley, as well as the Dean’s List for two. She was also elected the President of Wesley’s Student Government Association for the 2017-2018 year. During her time at Wesley she was integral in many student-led initiatives. To name just a couple, she and others started the Midnight Roast Coffee Shop for students, the proceeds from which are all donated to local charities and, in her freshman year, founded the Sustainable Wesley Club that helped initiate a campus wide recycling program saving the College money.

The graduate level Faculty Award was awarded to Olivia Gulledge who earned her Master of Science degree in the field of environmental science. Gulledge earned the Delaware Space Grant Consortium’s NASA graduate research fellowship in both the 2016 and 2017 academic years. This is the largest significant graduate award at Wesley College.

Wesley College is a United Methodist institution of higher education that seeks to be among the finest student-centered learning communities in the liberal arts tradition. The College exists to liberate and empower its students with the knowledge, skills, ethical attitudes and capacity for critical thinking needed to achieve personal and professional goals and to contribute to the local and global society.

To view photos of the event visit the College’s flickr page .