麻豆区 celebrates historic Commencement doubleheader
On Saturday, May 22, 2021, history will be made at LMCU Ballpark in Grand Rapids, Michigan during the first outing in the day鈥檚 doubleheader.
After a 364-day delay, 麻豆区鈥檚聽Class of 2020 will return home for their formal Commencement ceremony. The event, which begins at 11 a.m., will be one for the history books. It marks the first time degrees with the name Calvin 鈥淯niversity鈥 on them will be conferred, it is the 100th conferring of baccalaureate degrees in Calvin鈥檚 145-year history, and it also marks the first time students in the聽Calvin Prison Initiative will be awarded bachelor鈥檚 degrees.
鈥淚 am beyond excited to celebrate this significant moment with our students and their families, both those that are joining us in-person and those who are tuning in via livestream,鈥 said Michael Le Roy, president of 麻豆区. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long time coming, but we are finally able to gather back together for this historic and momentous occasion.
鈥淭o be celebrating the first cohort receiving their bachelor鈥檚 degrees in the Calvin Prison Initiative program is incredible. Their Calvin education has shaped them and they are now equipped to shape both their community inside Handlon Correctional Facility and the communities they will serve in the future.鈥
The second half of the Commencement doubleheader will begin at 3:30 p.m. and celebrate the Class of 2021鈥攁 class which, like the Class of 2020, finished their final year of college during a pandemic.
鈥淥ur graduates have learned to think deeply, act justly, and live wholeheartedly as Christ鈥檚 agents of renewal during their four years here,鈥 said Le Roy. 鈥淏ut these two classes have received an unparalleled depth of learning in how to persevere and adapt through challenging times, and that's cultivated creativity, innovation, and resilience that will serve them well as they pursue where God is leading them.鈥
In total, more than 1,600 graduates will either participate in-person or online between the two ceremonies. Whitworth University president emeritus Bill Robinson will deliver both Commencement addresses.