Icy roads turned to wet slosh as hundreds of cars pulled into parking lots at Shippensburg University on Saturday to celebrate the fall graduation ceremony.
More than 300 hundred seniors walked and picked up their diplomas at the Heiges Field House around 4:30 p.m. The undergraduate commencement was delayed from the morning to the afternoon after winter weather layered the ground with ice and snow.
The bleachers were packed with cheering family and friends, all waiting for their loved ones to turn their tassels and leave SU with a degree.
The Rev. Jan Bye of SU’s United Campus Ministry began the ceremony with an invocation.
“Enable them to stay focused on their goals,” Bye said. “Give them energy to work for the good of all.”
Retired Pennsylvania Senator Patricia Vance was the guest speaker and picked up where Bye left off. She said the graduates work is just beginning and they need the courage to follow their heart.
“Each change should be viewed as a beginning, not an end,” Vance said. “Choices are made by action or inaction. Don’t let your choices be made by inaction.”
Provost Barbara Lyman presented the bachelor’s degree candidates to SU President George “Jody” Harpster. The deans of the three colleges awarded the degrees to the 304 graduating students. The College of Business graduates walked first, followed by the College of Education and Human Services and finishing with the College of Arts and Sciences.
The young men and women walked with heads held high, along with smiles and occasional tears. Family yelled praises as their son or daughter, brother or sister, mother or father had their name called.
Harpster spoke to the graduates once they had their degrees.
“Thank you for making Ship a part of your life journey,” he said. “We are proud to call you our alumni.”
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