Lebanon Valley College to Celebrate Nearly 500 Graduates During 149th Commencement

To Award Honorary Doctorates to CEOs of Conrad Siegel, Penn Medicine, and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

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ANNVILLE, PA (05/10/2018) Lebanon Valley College will celebrate nearly 500 graduates during its 149th Commencement on Saturday, May 12 at 10 a.m. in Louis A. Sorrentino Gymnasium. The College's Baccalaureate Service is scheduled for Friday, May 11 at 6:30 p.m. in Louis A. Sorrentino Gymnasium.

With more than 4,000 parents and family members expected to attend Commencement, guests are asked to review information relating to the day's activities, including parking, shuttles, photography, and ticketing at http://www.lvc.edu/commencement.

This year 382 undergraduate students are eligible to participate in Commencement. They will be joined by 59 master of business administration, music education, or science in STEM education degree candidates, as well as 34 doctor of physical therapy students. Undergraduate and graduate students who graduated in December 2017 are invited to participate in Commencement; students who will complete their degrees in August and December 2018 are also welcome to participate in the Commencement ceremony.

Along with recognizing our graduates, the College will award honorary doctorate degrees to four national and international leaders as part of the ceremony. This year's recipients, representing fields ranging from international politics and healthcare to actuarial science and financial planning and art education, include:

• Jan Loeffler Bergen, president and chief executive officer of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health and Lancaster General Hospital, will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.).

• David R. Brigham, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.).

• Francis Obai Kabia '73, former member of the United Nations Secretariat, will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.).

• Conrad Murray Siegel, founder and president of Conrad Siegel Actuaries, now Conrad Siegel, will receive a Doctor of Science (Sc.D.).

Delivering this year's Commencement address will be Dr. Robert Carey, associate professor of biology. He was selected as speaker according to tradition after receiving The Thomas Rhys Vickroy Distinguished Teaching Award at the 2017 Commencement. The Vickroy Award is the College's top teaching honor for a full-time faculty member.

Dr. Carey has been building connections with students since arriving at The Valley in 2010. Along with teaching biology, genetics, and other courses in the Biology Department, Dr. Carey has collaborated with numerous students on summer research and for immersive projects through the Arnold Experiential Grant program. Through a President's Innovation Fund grant, he paired with Dr. Rebecca Urban, associate professor of biology and director of environmental science, to develop a new interdisciplinary molecular ecology lab which resulted in a new lab being executed for students that in ecology and genetics classes. Dr. Carey has also presented at the College's Symposium on Inclusive Excellence and will teach a connective course on evolution as part of the Constellation LVC curriculum.

The Baccalaureate speaker on Friday, May 11, will be Reverend Alfred T. Day III, general secretary of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History. Rev. Day is responsible for preserving the ministry of memory in the United Methodist Church (UMC) and to tell its ever-evolving story-past, present, and future. Rev. Day has been an ordained elder in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the UMC for more than 40 years. He has traveled the world as a speaker and lecture, and served as a member of the College's Board of Trustees from 1996-2002.

During Commencement, the College will award three faculty and student commendations. The H. Anthony Neidig Award (top student) includes a monetary award and commemorative medallion; the 2018 Thomas Rhys Vickroy Distinguished Teaching Award (top professor) includes a monetary award and Commencement speaking honors for the 2019 ceremony; and the Nevelyn J. Knisley Award (top part-time/adjunct member) includes a monetary award.

The College will broadcast Commencement live at http://www.godutchmen.com/watch/?Archive=797&type=Live for those unable to attend. A rebroadcast of Commencement will be available at https://www.youtube.com/user/LebanonValleyCollege.

Lebanon Valley College is a private, coeducational college founded in 1866 and dedicated to the liberal arts. The College offers 41 undergraduate majors plus self-designed majors and a range of minors, concentrations, and pre-professional options, as well as graduate degree programs in athletic training, business administration, music education, physical therapy, science in STEM education, and speech-language pathology.

The College has 1,624 full-time undergraduate students and 118 full-time faculty. Students can choose from more than 95 clubs and organizations, and 19 study abroad programs. LVC awards generous academic scholarships to those whose high school records demonstrate a commitment to challenge and achievement. Learn more at www.lvc.edu.

Annville is 15 minutes east of Hershey and 35 minutes east of Harrisburg; Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore are within two hours.