Stillman College to hold commencement ceremony May 6

Alumnus, education researcher to deliver keynote address

Stillman College’s 147th commencement exercise will be held Saturday, May 6 at Stillman Stadium.

The ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. and is open and free to the community. No tickets are needed.

The ceremony will also be streamed live on YouTube.

Commencement speaker

Dr. James D. Anderson, a Stillman alumnus (’66) and a member of the board of trustees, will serve as this year’s commencement speaker.

Anderson is the Edward William and Jane Marr Gutgsell Professor Emeritus of Education and dean emeritus for the College of Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Anderson is a prolific researcher whose work has focused on the history of African American education in the South from 1860-1935, the history of higher education desegregation in southern states, the history of public-school desegregation, institutional racism, and the representation of Blacks in secondary school history textbooks.

Anderson’s seminal book, The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860-1935, won the American Educational Research Association outstanding book award in 1990.

‘Golden Class’ to be honored

Stillman will celebrate 27 alumni in its 1973 “Golden Class” festivities. Each year since 2012, in accordance with Stillman’s traditional commencement, Stillman celebrates the 50-year milestone anniversary and fundraiser of the Golden Class. Members of the Golden Class participate in the line of march at commencement and receive a “Golden” certificate while adorned in gold regalia.

The honored class has activities over the weekend that include a banquet to highlight their 50-year journey to the present, a campus tour to reflect the changes, and a tour of the hallowed halls of the Historic Stillman House – the early days of the College.

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