University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby told members of the Spring 2015 graduating class that ”¦using your college education to serve a worthwhile cause that is greater than yourself is one of the most fulfilling investments you can make.’ Huckaby addressed 226 graduates and an estimated crowd of 1,500 who were gathered on Lambdin Green at the center of the Gordon State College campus. Huckaby noted that, ‘few of us are entrepreneurs, and even fewer are billionaires. ’But investing your time and talent in the act of giving can be as rewarding as giving money. In many cases, it is even more rewarding and does more to nurture you as a person.’ Degrees were conferred to 226 students of the 340-member class. Of the graduates, 41 students earned an Associate of Science in Nursing while others earned Associate of Science and Associate of Arts degrees. Bachelor degrees were awarded in History, English, Math, Health Science and Informatics Administration, Human Services, Biology, Education and Nursing. Of the entire Spring 2015 class, 64 students graduated with honors. Immediately after the graduation ceremony, nursing school graduates and graduates of the early childhood education program held individual ceremonies. The nursing students gathered in Alumni Memorial Hall for a pinning ceremony during which the nurses also lighted their Florence Nightingale lamps. This year’s ceremony was dedicated to Assistant Professor of Nursing Christy Skinner who is ill. ’She is a vital part of the faculty. It is difficult for her to not be here with us, but we know she would be so very proud to see these students graduate,’ said Anne Purvis, dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, and professor of nursing. Graduates of the school of education gathered in Fine Arts for their Bell and Book Ceremony . Holding to tradition, Gordon’s teachers were given a bell and basic textbook symbolizing what teachers in the 19th Century started their classrooms with. Mike Mahan, Dean of the School of Education, told the group, ”¦teachers help students learn how to use their brain, you are going to touch lives and change lives forever.’
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