Sewanee’s Academic Year Comes to a Close

The University of the South’s 2013–14 academic year comes to a close May 9, 10 and 11 with three ceremonies marking graduation weekend at Sewanee. Commencement and Baccalaureate ceremonies will be held for students from the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Theology and School of Letters.

Commencement for conferring of degrees for 2014 graduates of the School of Theology will be at 10 a.m., Friday, May 9, in All Saints’ Chapel. Honorary degrees will be presented to the Rt. Rev. Mark Allen Bourlakas, the Most Rev. David Chillingworth and David J. Hurd Jr. during the School of Theology Commencement.

The Baccalaureate Service will be at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 10, in All Saints’ Chapel, and will also be shown on closed-circuit television in Guerry Auditorium. Attorney and philanthropist Florence Davis will give the Baccalaureate address.

Commencement ceremonies for the College and School of Letters will be at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 11. Tickets are required for College commencement seating in All Saints’ Chapel and McClurg Hall; however, the ceremony will also be shown on closed-circuit television in Guerry Auditorium (no ticket required). Approximately 350 students are expected to graduate from the College.

Wayne W. Anderson, Florence A. Davis, Anthony C. Gooch, C’59 and Jonathan Green will receive honorary degrees during the May 10 Baccalaureate ceremony.

More information about the honorary degree recipients follows:

Wayne W. Anderson is the founding president of the Associated Colleges of the South, serving in that role since the consortium began in 1991. Sixteen national liberal arts colleges and universities—including Sewanee—across 12 southern states make up the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS). 

Anderson’s leadership is often cited as a key component of the consortium’s success in serving its 30,000 students and 3,000 faculty members, strengthening academic programs and broadening opportunities for students. Anderson was formerly president of Maryville College, Illinois Wesleyan University and the Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

Florence A. Davis is president of the board of directors of the Starr Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the U.S. and among the top sponsors of financial aid at Sewanee, having contributed more than $1.8 million. 

A graduate of Wellesley College and New York University School of Law, Davis began her career in private practice and then served in a number of positions at Morgan Stanley. She was vice president and general counsel of AIG. She is a trustee of New York University and the NYU School of Law; a director of the International Rescue Committee, the Institute for Judicial Administration and the Eisenhower Fellowships, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Anthony C. “Tony” Gooch, C’59, is a retired attorney who practiced for more than 40 years at international law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. 

He established and supports the Klein Family Scholarships, which were conceived of by his late wife, Linda B. Klein, and provide full financial support for talented Hungarian students to study at Sewanee. The Institute for International Education awarded Gooch the 2012 Europe Award for Excellence. He has served Sewanee as a regent, a member of the University Board of Trustees and as a member of the executive board of the Associated Alumni. He was the 2013 recipient of the Crawford Alumni Service Award.

Jonathan Green is an internationally acclaimed artist who is considered one of the most important painters of the Southern experience. Green’s best-known approach to painting may be termed “narrative realism.” His work reflects the everyday life of African-Americans in the low-country, capturing and recording his life experiences and the rich cultural heritage of the Gullah community. 

Green is a frequent speaker on the role of the artist in preserving culture and our places in history. 

His paintings can be found in major museum and cultural collections, and he has received numerous awards for both his work and his civic contributions.