Commencement Videos - 9 a.m. | 1 p.m.
The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville campus awarded degrees to 924 graduates today during 2013 fall commencement exercises at the Vadalabene Center on the SIUE campus.
During her remarks to the graduates, SIUE Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe referenced the passing of Nobel Prize winner Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid revolutionary and former South Africa president, and the value of inclusion.
“As Mr. Mandela knew, and as we here at SIUE have worked to impart, inclusion is a commitment,” Furst-Bowe said. “Inclusion is a responsibility. Inclusion is strength.
“Think back on one person you’ve encountered while here at the University who, by the very fact that they differed from you in significant ways, expanded your world and left you changed forever … and for the better.”
The morning ceremony celebrated the matriculation of undergraduate and graduate students from the Schools of Business, Education and Nursing. The student speaker was Candi LeDuc, who earned a bachelor’s in nursing at SIUE and chose to return to her alma mater to achieve a master’s in nursing with a family nurse practitioner specialization.
During her speech, LeDuc recalled insight from a professor. “I remember a professor telling me during nursing school that long after I graduate and I am in my nursing career, I would have these ‘ah ha’ moments occur—moments that may seem to test my patience at the time, but moments that I would look back on and realize that it was a moment that defined me and who I am as a person,” she said.
Caring for an infant who was born with a rare disease and airlifted to the hospital where she worked on Thanksgiving night, and nurturing that child through three months in the hospital provided her with an “ah-ha” moment that would lead her back to graduate school.
Kay Gaehle, associate professor for primary care and health systems in the School of Nursing, was the morning speaker. She received the 2013 Teaching Excellence Award, the most prestigious teaching award available to SIUE faculty members.
Gaehle urged the graduates to “build bridges for your future.” She related a number of professional relationships that unexpectedly came to benefit her career along the way.
“You never know who you may meet in your future that you made an impression upon in your past,” Gaehle said. “As you deal with people and the complex world in which we live, be sure to build bridges for your future.”
The afternoon ceremony included undergraduate and graduate candidates from the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences, as well as the School of Engineering. Elizabeth H. Littmann, who earned a bachelor’s in computer science in the School of Engineering, was the student speaker.
Littmann originally earned a bachelor’s in nursing but decided it was not the best fit. After revisiting her childhood memories to determine what gave her joy, she made the choice to pursue a new direction at SIUE.
“The wonderful part about my experience at SIUE is the support I felt from both classmates and faculty,” Littmann said. “When I arrived here, I no longer felt like a number in a sea of students. I was valued for my individual contributions to the school.
“True to its mission, SIUE really is a student-centered educational community that is dedicated to communicating, expanding and integrating knowledge. The spirit of collaboration here is enriched by diverse ideas. This institution really does develop professionals, scholars and leaders who shape a changing world.”
Jeff Skoblow, associate professor of English language and literature in the College of Arts and Sciences, spoke during the afternoon ceremony as the recipient of the 2013 Great Teacher Award. Skoblow was honored with the designation by the SIUE Alumni Association and was nominated by his students.
Skoblow encouraged the graduates to continue to read literature. “The most fundamental training and preparation is the most important kind, and to me, that means preparation in thinking, which to me means reading and writing … and that means literature,” he said. “Be a continuing student of your reading and writing. You will have to want to do it and work at doing it, because the world won’t help you as much as we (SIUE) have helped you. That’s the way forward
“Read (William) Morris, (Franz) Kafka and (William) Blake, and keep going. Keep your mind alive.”
Photo: Candi LeDuc addressed SIUE’s morning commencement session in the Vadalabene Center on Saturday, Dec. 14.