Cheyney University News May 10, 2015 Cheyney Class of 2015 and Class of 1965 Celebrate Commencement Cheyney University of Pennsylvania was packed May 9 as family and friends gathered to watch the Class of 2015 walk across the stage to receive their long-awaited diplomas. The sweeping white tent on the historic quadrangle of the Nation's 1st HBCU overflowed with well-wishers. As the University Band played Pomp and Circumstance, nearly 250 graduates processed behind Cheyney Administrators, Faculty, and Class of 1965 members who were on hand to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Cheyney University's Concert Choir led the singing of The Star-Spangled Banner and Lift Ev'ry Voice, before Robert W. Bogle, Chairman of the Cheyney University Council of Trustees, addressed the graduating class. "We are proud of each and every one of you," he declared. When Cheyney University Interim President Frank G. Pogue took to the podium, he called for the parents of all graduates in the audience to stand and be recognized. "This is probably the best Mother's Day present you'll ever get," he suggested to the moms, resulting in smiles and applause. "Let me be one of the first to congratulate you on your accomplishments," he told the graduates. He also took time to tell the crowd about one special senior accomplishment. "This year we are very happy and proud that the Syed R. Ali Zaidi Award for Academic Excellence recognizing a graduating senior from one of the 14 state-owned Universities was awarded to a Cheyney University graduate, Travonya Lynn Kenly." The Allentown, PA native is the 15th recipient and the first Cheyney student to win the prestigious honor which is handed out each spring. Despite overcast skies, the weather held off while Gladys Styles Johnston, a 1963 Cheyney graduate, brought the keynote address. The Director of the Millennium Leadership Initiative, a leadership program that helps high achieving academic administrators become college presidents and chancellors, offered the graduates some advice; don't underestimate your talents, be careful how you treat others, surround yourselves with intellectuals, and use your education and social ideas for the good of mankind to bring us all together without hate. Class of 2015 Valedictorian Vinasia Miles, a Business Management Major from Coatesville, PA, challenged her peers to reach their potential and make some amazing contributions to society. "When you succeed you are in a position to give rather than take," she explained. "The future is definitely in our hands. So, Cheyney class of 2015, let's make the best of it." The 21-year-old overachiever completed her undergraduate degree in three years instead of four and plans to spend the next three years getting her MBA at Temple or Penn State Universities so that she can own a design corporation one day. While she is on the younger side, according to Dr. Pogue, the average age of Cheyney's 2015 graduate is 26 years old, meaning most of the graduates are non-traditional students. Aisha Harris, a 28-year-old single mother of two, is one of them. "It feels like Christmas morning," she gushed. "I'm just so excited. It has been a really long, tough road but completely worth it." After working for six years, she went back to school to get her degree and graduated cum laude with a BS in Environmental Biology. Harris hopes to go to law school to become an environmental attorney. "This has truly been an incredible journey," remarked John Cooper. "I still am in awe that I even got to this point. I asked God to give me a second chance and he did." The 32-year-old graduated summa cum laude with a BS in Business Administration and a concentration in Marketing. He plans to move to the Midwest and get into the technology field for a year and then attend law school. His goal is to become a legal consultant for technology companies. Also among the graduates were Richard E. Coleman III, a General Science major, Joshua Hughes, a Biology major and Holland Culbreath, a Computer Information major. The trio was part of Cheyney University's team that recently placed second in the national Honda Campus All-Star Challenge. Following the awarding of degrees, the President of the Cheyney University National Alumni Association, Marion Haliburton, inducted the Class of 2015 into the Association. Watching from a special front row section was the Class of 1965. The gentlemen were decked in suits while the ladies sported white dresses with Cheyney blue accents. Their day began with a continental breakfast where they reconnected with old friends, told long-forgotten stories and reminisced about the good old days. It ended with a 1965 Class Luncheon in Carnegie Hall's Great Room where alumna Maxine Shaffer Coleman gave a delightful a cappella rendition of It's a Wonderful World followed by alumnus Charles Grantham's Keynote Address. "Cheyney gave me the opportunity to chase a dream," he told his former classmates. He then detailed his role as Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer in the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) during its most expansive years when players included the Dream Team and Magic Johnson. "Cheyney, we have come a mighty long way," noted alumna Loretta Lee Brockington, while presenting the University with a ceremonial check for $10,000. The Class of '65 hopes to present a real check for $25,000 at Homecoming in October, to be used for student scholarships. Dr. Pogue gave each Class of 1965 member a Cheyney Family Pin and held an informal community pinning. The blue and white pins bear the University's logo and signify that all who wear them are Cheyney family members forever. To view pictures from the Class of 1965 Breakfast and Luncheon click here<http://www.cheyney.edu/campusuite/modules/photo-gallery.cfm?action=modify&box_id=14429&grp_id=5700>. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.