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– BGE’s Calvin Butler to Keynote; Special Tribute from Attorney General Eric Holder –
On Saturday, May 17, 2014, more than 850 graduates at Morgan State University will realize the culmination of a dream at the 138th Spring Commencement. This year’s graduates will hear words of insight and encouragement from Baltimore Gas and Electric’s CEO Calvin Butler, Jr.
“We are excited to have Mr. Butler as keynote speaker for our 138th Commencement,” says Morgan President David Wilson. “He has a remarkable record of achievement at such a young age and on the third Saturday in May, he undoubtedly will have much to share that will be of benefit to our graduates.”
In addition to the usual pomp and circumstance that accompanies every Morgan commencement, the University will also honor the 60th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. The decision dismantled policies establishing ‘separate but equal’ systems of education for white and black American secondary students in states around the country. To commemorate the occasion, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will deliver remarks on the landmark ruling, and reflections on the nation’s progress in the years following the decision.
“Our graduates are so fortunate this year that the anniversary of this historic Supreme Court ruling would fall on such a monumental day in their lives,” says Dr. Wilson. “It is especially appropriate to have the nation’s top lawyer and the first African American to hold this position to help us celebrate the occasion.”
Morgan will award honorary doctorate degrees to four individuals at Saturday’s commencement ceremony. They include: Calvin Butler, Attorney General Eric Holder, Joseph Jones, and University of Maryland physicist Dr. Sylvester Gates. Jones is president and founder of the Center for Urban Families in Baltimore, whose work was recently recognized by President Barack Obama. Dr. Gates has won national acclaim for his research on supersymmetry and supergravity. He is a 2013 recipient of the National Medal of Science.
Saturday’s Commencement begins at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 17, 2014 in Hughes Stadium on Morgan’s campus.
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie classified doctoral research institution offering more than 60 academic programs leading to bachelor’s degrees as well as programs at the master’s and doctoral levels. As Maryland’s public urban research university, Morgan serves a multi-ethnic and multi-racial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information on Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
