Ceremony includes address by Harlan Sands

ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½¿ª½± will host fall commencement exercises at 1 p.m., Sunday, December 16 at the Wolstein Center on campus. ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½¿ª½± President Harlan M. Sands, who was appointed the University’s seventh president earlier this year, will serve as the commencement speaker. He will provide insights gathered from his first 6 months on campus and discuss how graduates can continue to promote ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½¿ª½±â€™s mission as productive and enthusiastic members of their communities.

To learn more about the festivities and access the livestream of the ceremony, visit /commencement/commencement.

As part of commencement exercises, ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½¿ª½± will also award an honorary degree to Serena Silvestro, a pre-med student who died earlier this year due to complications from Cystic Fibrosis. Silvestro was diagnosed with the disease as a child but did not let that stop her from succeeding both academically and athletically in junior high and high school. She entered the pre-med program at ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½¿ª½± at the age of 16 and was also highly active in raising money for cystic fibrosis research and supporting other individuals with the disease.

Her family founded the Serena Silvestro Memorial Team in her honor. The organization raises money for several causes close to Serena’s heart, including Our Lady of the Elms School, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation — Northern Ohio Chapter and the Phi Sigma Pi Chapter at ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½¿ª½±.  The honorary degree will be accepted by her parents.

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