More than 800 students to graduate from three Catholic colleges in archdiocese
Criterion staff report
Students, families and educators will join in the celebration as the three Catholic colleges in the archdiocese hold their graduation ceremonies in May.
Marian University
When Marian University in Indianapolis celebrates its 75th commencement at 10 a.m. on May 5, the Franciscan college will also confer degrees on a record number of graduates—622.
The record number of graduates includes 120 students who will receive a Master of Arts degree in teaching, and 147 students who will earn accelerated business administration degrees from Marian’s Adult Programs.
The commencement speaker will be Franciscan Sister Barbara Piller, a 1971 graduate of Marian who is the congregational minister of the Sisters of St. Francis in Oldenburg.
Four people will receive honorary degrees during the ceremony.
Franciscan Sister Mother Mary Clarissa Dillhoff, the university’s founder and first president, will be remembered with a posthumous honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.
An honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree will be presented to John Purdie, a business leader, U.S. Army veteran and member of the university’s board of trustees.
Eugene Glick and his late wife, Marilyn Glick, will be honored with honorary Doctor of Humanities degrees for their generous philanthropy, including their support of Marian University’s Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab.
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in St. Mary-of-the-Woods will celebrate its 171st commencement on May 5 when the 107 graduates of its Class of 2012 will be honored.
Graduates will receive their degrees during the ceremony that begins at 2 p.m. in the Cecilian Auditorium of the college’s Conservatory of Music.
The commencement speaker will be Myra Janco Daniels, an advertising executive, entrepreneur and philanthropist with a passion for the arts. The college’s president, Dottie King, describes Daniels as “a visionary business woman” who “has clearly demonstrated how leadership, intelligence and determination—noteworthy traits that our graduates share—are critical to shape the future of our world.”
Daniels will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology
Seventy-four students are expected to receive master’s degrees when Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad holds two commencement ceremonies at the Archabbey Church.
The first ceremony—at 7 p.m. central time on May 11—will honor students who have earned the Master of Divinity degree or the Master of Catholic Philosophical Studies degree.
The second ceremony—at 9:30 a.m. central time on May 12—will honor students who have earned the Master of Theological Studies degree or the Master of Arts in Theology degree.
Both ceremonies will begin with Mass followed by the conferral of degrees.
Bishop Paul D. Etienne of the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyo., will be the presider and homilist at Mass, and the commencement speaker at both ceremonies. He previously served as a priest in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, and as a spiritual director at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology. †