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From: Scott, Pier C. [mailto:ScottP@hssu.edu] Sent: Monday, May 16, 2016 1:59 PM Subject: Harris-Stowe Congratulates More Than 150 Graduates at May 14 Ceremony Hello, Harris-Stowe is a first-choice institution that specializes in second-chance opportunities. We proudly announce the culmination of our 2015-16 academic year with last Saturday's Commencement. We'd be happy to introduce you to some of our amazing graduates, including this year's valedictorian, Ribbon Williams-Harvey, who became a mom at the shocking age of 12, went on the have five more children and has become an academic inspiration to her family and community. Or Doyle Williams, who fought back from a devastating motorcycle accident in 2007 to receive his degree on Saturday. There's also Joseph Wells who began his academic career at HSSU 30 years ago and, in graduating Saturday, fulfilled a promise to his now-deceased parents to complete his degree. Finally, you may like to meet Marvin and Tamara Terrell, a husband and wife who both graduated on Saturday, two years after their son received his HSSU degree. Please click here<http://www.hssu.edu/rsp_index.cfm?wid=83> for images and video from Commencement; see details and my contact information below. News Harris-Stowe State University For Immediate Release Contact: Pier Scott (314) 340-3391 scottp@hssu.edu<mailto:scottp@hssu.edu> Harris-Stowe State University Inspires Change, Confers Degrees to More Than 150 Graduates HSSU Aims to Transform Lives and Communities One Graduate at a Time ST. LOUIS, MO (May 16, 2016) - College graduation day is memorable, jubilant and transforming - the commencement ceremony at Harris-Stowe State University on Saturday, May 14 exemplified all those attributes and more. A powerful and inspirational valedictory address by summa cum laude Elementary Education graduate Ribbon Williams-Harvey set the tone for an emotional day. Her rousing speech, which she characterized as her "testimony," included the mantra that she drilled into the minds of her six children: education is the key that unlocks doors of opportunity. Through her struggles as a teenage parent to obtain her GED to enduring the loss of a parent and her son during her last semester, she persevered to receive the highest GPA in the 2015-16 graduating class. Williams-Harvey's determination was reaffirmed by several of this year's graduates. Many Harris-Stowe graduates have overcome obstacles to achieve their degrees, but few have come as far and excelled as much as MIS Computer Science major Doyle Williams. After surviving severe head trauma due to a motorcycle accident in 2007, Doyle has spent years in physical and occupational therapy - re-learning to walk, talk, read and write. He returned to Harris-Stowe in 2012, part-time, working up to full-time status and eventually earned his undergraduate degree in December 2015. His gait was only slightly uneven as he took an unassisted and triumphant stroll to receive his diploma during Saturday's commencement ceremony. The slight wobble did not reveal his arduous journey from total immobility to gradually using a wheelchair, a walker, a cane and finally walking with a bit of a limp. Students like Williams, who was unable to complete his degree within six years due to his protracted recovery or because he transferred to Harris-Stowe from community college, are not counted among the university's graduation rate as reported by the Integrated Post-secondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Because of the way the university's graduation data are calculated - reporting six-year graduation rates for first-time, full-time freshmen only - the university is penalized with an official graduation rate (as reported by IPEDS, which is the primary source of stats on U.S. colleges and universities via the National Center for Education Statistics) that is deceptively low and does not reflect the actual number of graduates. On the other hand, factoring these non-traditional students (transfer, part-time or those requiring more than six years to complete their degree) into the University's graduation rates would double or possibly triple the institution's graduation rate in any given year. Harris-Stowe's 2016 commencement ceremony hit a high note when Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, the host of BET News, and a CNN political contributor, delivered a rousing and inspirational keynote address. Dr. Hill encouraged the graduates to, "act bravely... say something unpopular, shake off the haters and share their knowledge to help others in their community to succeed." In addition, five Distinguished Alumni awardees were recognized for outstanding achievement in their chosen fields of endeavor, their names and graduation years follow: Roxanne D. Crawford, M.Ed, Senior Area Director, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis, (1991); Dr. Nicole Evans, Principal of City Garden Montessori School, (1994); Dr. Bruce Green, Assistant Superintendent of Hazelwood School District, (2001); Dr. Christopher Petty, Principal, Brooklyn Excelsior Charter School, (1994); and Dr. Betty Porter Walls, Assistant Professor, College of Education, Harris-Stowe State University (1965). Harris-Stowe began a new tradition this year recognizing 50-year alumni. Ten members of the Class of 1966, representing the 94 graduates in their class, received personalized 50-Year Alumni medallions prior to the ceremony. The standing room only crowd showered the honorees with an ovation during their processional, which included two members carrying a special 50-Year Alumni banner. Also, Harris-Stowe's 2016 commencement ceremony introduced the first recipients of the Harriet Beecher Stowe Award: the honorable Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis and Joseph F. Reagan, president and chief executive officer of the St. Louis Regional Chamber. As the University President's highest honor for outstanding contributions or beneficial services rendered to Harris-Stowe, the Harriet Beecher Stowe award is given to individuals who have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the university's mission and its students through investments of time and energy. The Stowe and Distinguished Alumni awards were bestowed on the honorees at a special luncheon held on Friday, May 13. About Harris-Stowe State University Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU), located in midtown St. Louis, is a fully accredited four-year institution that offers 14 degree programs in teacher education, business and arts & sciences. In 2014, HSSU ranked No. 1 in the state of Missouri and No. 47 in the nation in granting degrees in mathematics and statistics to African-Americans according to Missouri Department of Higher Education and Diverse: Issues In Higher Education, a newsmagazine that has ranked institutions conferring the most degrees to minority students for the past 30 years. The university, which has origins dating back to 1857, offers the most affordable bachelor's degree in the state of Missouri. # # # Pier Scott Director of Communications and Marketing Harris-Stowe State University 3026 Laclede Avenue St. Louis, MO 63103 (314) 340-3391 (o) or (314) 506.1386 (c) www.hssu.edu<http://www.hssu.edu> scottp@hssu.edu<mailto:scottp@hssu.edu>