Lebanon Valley College to Host 146th Baccalaureate and Commencement May 8 and 9

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Lebanon Valley College Commencement

ANNVILLE, PA (04/22/2015)(readMedia)-- Lebanon Valley College will honor more than 500 graduates during its 146th Commencement on Saturday, May 9 at 10 a.m. in Sorrentino Gymnasium. The Baccalaureate Service is scheduled for Friday, May 8 at 6:30 p.m. in Miller Chapel.

The College expects more than 4,000 parents and family members to attend Commencement. All attendees are asked to review information relating to the day's activities, including parking, shuttles, photography, and ticketing at www.lvc.edu/commencement.

This year 414 undergraduate students are eligible to participate in Commencement. They will be joined by 70 master of business administration, music education, or science education degree candidates and 32 doctor of physical therapy students. Undergraduate and graduate students who graduated in December 2014 are invited to participate in Commencement; students who will complete their degrees in August and December 2015 are also welcome to walk in the Commencement ceremony.

The Commencement speaker will be Dr. Matthew Sayers, of Annville, an associate professor of religion at LVC. He was selected as speaker according to tradition after receiving The Thomas Rhys Vickroy Award at the 2014 Commencement. The Vickroy award is the College's top teaching honor for a full-time faculty member.

Dr. Sayers, associate professor of religion, teaches across the religion curriculum, including special courses on Evil, Death and Dying, and Scripture, and also teaches introductory Sanskrit. His work focuses on the relations between the living and the dead and his research includes the Hindu and Buddhist traditions in ancient India as well as the later history of and contemporary practice at the pilgrimage site Gaya in Bihar, India. In addition to his work at the College, Dr. Sayers is a published author with his work appearing in a variety of journals, and he authored, Feeding the Dead: Ancestor Worship in Ancient India in 2013.

The Baccalaureate speaker will be Rose Marie Berger, an award-winning religion journalist, author, public speaker, poet, and Catholic who specializes in writing about spirituality and art, social justice, war, and peace. In the course of a 30-plus-year career in faith-based activism, advocacy journalism, and pastoral leadership, she has proven to be a skilled organizer, exceptional writer, visionary pastoral leader, and innovative teacher of biblical literacy. She is a senior associate editor of Sojourners magazine, which has a combined print and electronic media readership of more than a quarter million people.

The College will also award three faculty and student commendations. The H. Anthony Neidig Award (top student) includes a monetary award and commemorative medallion; the 2015 Thomas Rhys Vickroy Award (top professor) includes a monetary award and Commencement speaking rights; and the Nevelyn J. Knisley Award (top part-time/adjunct member) includes a monetary award.

The College will broadcast live the May 9 Commencement at www.lvc.edu/LVCtv for those unable to attend.