Erskine College & Seminary Ersk ne College & Sem Erskine College & Sei


      - 


Erskine honored its college and seminary graduates on May 4, welcoming Dr. Carol M. Swain as commencement speaker. “Grad- uation means that you will be stepping into the unknown,” Swain said. “You should expect challenges and disappointments, sprin- kled with pleasant surprises and unexpected victories.” Swain said she never expected to embark on an academic career and calls herself “the accidental professor.” She retired in 2017 as Professor of Political Science and Professor of Law at Vanderbilt University. Prior to her work at Vanderbilt, she served on the faculty of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University (now the Princeton School of Public and In- ternational Affairs). She is a blogger, podcast host, public speaker, media commentator, and the author of nearly a dozen books, in- cluding The Adversity of Diversity, Countercultural Living, and Black Eye for America. Growing up in poverty, Swain dropped out of school and earned


her undergraduate degree as well as advanced degrees after she had become a mother. “Each of us has a call on our life. You should al- ways remember that,” she said.


         


“I can attest to the fact that life will take you in unexpected direc- tions,” Swain told her audience, but she emphasized that trust in  He wants us to live our lives with boldness and courage.” Swain, who experienced a Christian conversion in her forties, said that God “knows our fears about the future.” In her own life, she said, “many of the things that seemed like missed opportuni-  to become a nurse—worked for her good. Lamenting that “We have become a nation of covenant break- ers who are no longer willing to keep commitments,” Swain told the students, “We must strive to keep our commitments to one an- other,” and asked, “Is your word your bond?”


           -  


Swain challenged the members of the graduating class to stand up for Jesus Christ, who is revealed in scripture. “Stand up and be- come godly leaders who can help bring revival to our nation,” she said. “Now get your degree and go in peace.” College awards announced during the commencement exercises by Dean of the College D. Shane Bradley included the Younts Excel- lence in Teaching Award, given to Associate Professor of English Dr. Christine Schott. Student awards announced by the dean were the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, given to John Paul Bell, Jr. of Due West, S.C., a summa cum laude graduate who completed a double major in Chemistry and Mathematics with Departmental Honors in Chemis- try and a minor in Physics; the Mary Mildred Sullivan Award, given to summa cum laude graduate Sharon Lee George of Spartanburg, S.C., who completed a triple major in History, Psychology, and Bible and Religion, receiving Departmental Honors in all three majors; and the H.M. Young Ring, the highest honor for a member of the


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32