2021 Spring Commencement Convocation

THE ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-FIRST COMMENCEMENT CONVOCATION THE COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES Saturday, the Eighth of May Two Thousand Twenty One Seven O’Clock in the Evening The Charlie W. Johnson Stadium Benedict College Columbia, South Carolina Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis President and CEO THE ORDER OF THE EXERCISES Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis President and CEO Presiding THE PRELUDE : I’m Gonna Be Ready.............................................................................................. Yolanda Adams THE ACADEMIC PROCESSION: War March of the Priests ...................................................... Felix Mendelssohn The assembly will please remain seated during the academic processional. Please rise for the presentation of the colors and remain standing through the singing of Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing. THE PRESENTATION OF THE COLORS ........................................................... Benedict College Army Reserve Offi cer Training Corps - Color Guard THE ANTHEMS .........................................................................................Performed by Simone Bryant (Recorded) Performed by Kirk Franklin (Recorded) THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER LIFT EV’RY VOICE AND SING O! say can you see by the dawn’s early light Lift ev’ry voice and sing, ‘til earth and heaven ring, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming Ring with the harmonies of liberty; Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fi ght, Let our rejoicing rise, high as the listening skies, O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Sing a song, full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, Gave proof through the night that our fl ag was still there; Sing a song, full of the hope that the present has brought us; O! say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave, Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave? Let us march on ‘til victory is won. THE GREETING .................................................................................................................... Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis THE COMMENCEMENT PRAYER ..................................................................................Reverend Lillie Burgess Campus Minister THE OCCASION...............................................................................................................................Ms. Jacasia Rowe President, Senior Class Class of 2021 THE INTRODUCTION OF THE SPEAKER ....................................................................Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis THE COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS ...................................................................................... Ms. Tiff any D. Cross Host, The Cross Connection MSNBC Television New York, New York THE CONFERRING OF THE HONORARY DEGREE ............................................................. Ms. Cedelle Gates President, Benedict College National Alumni Association Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis THE RECOGNITION OF THE RESERVED OFFICERS TRAINING CORPS (ROTC) COMMISSIONED OFFICER .............................................................................................Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF ACADEMIC HONORS .................................................................. Dr. Janeen P. Witty Vice President for Academic Aff airs THE PRESENTATION OF THE OUTSTANDING SENIOR AWARD .................................Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis THE SPECIAL REMARKS (Video Presentation) ...................................................The Honorable Miguel Cardona Secretary of Education Washington, DC MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO THE CLASS OF 2021..........Count On Me ..............Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans THE PRESENTATION OF CANDIDATES FOR BACCALAUREATE DEGREES...................Dr. Janeen P. Witty School of Arts and Sciences Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship School of Education, Health, and Human Services Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship Master of Business Administratoin Graduate Program THE CONFERRING OF DEGREES ....................................................................................Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis THE AWARDING OF THE POSTHUMOUS DEGREE ............................................................Mr. Scott E. Blanks Senior Class Advisor Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis THE READING OF NAMES OF GRADUATES .................................................................. Mr. Scott E. Blanks Senior Class Advisor Professor, Communication and Arts Department THE INDUCTION OF GRADUATES INTO THE BENEDICT COLLEGE NATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ............................. Ms. Cedelle Gates ALUMNI PLEDGE I hereby solemnly pledge unbroken allegiance to my Alma Mater, in appreciation of the opportunities for development aff orded me at Benedict College. I pledge my active membership in the Benedict College National Alumni Association, wherever I may be. Through association with my fellow alumni, I shall forever do my best to uphold the ideals and traditions of my Alma Mater. I pledge, as a person, to exemplify high ideals by rendering positive and dignifi ed service to the community, the state, the nation, and the world—thus, living to bring honor and respect to Benedict College, representing “TheBESTofBC” and being “a power for good in society.” THE ALMA MATER ..........................................................................................................Lyrics by Anna I. Douglas I III Where the golden sunshine falls, We’ll remember in the years, Rustling leaves about her, Coming swiftly toward us, Breezes whispering round her walls, All the smiles, but not the tears, Stands our Alma Mater. Alma Mater brought us. II IV Students all, a sturdy band, If the path of life be dim, Loud our voices ringing, And the way be dreary, Of her kindly helping hand, Alma Mater points to Him, Of our love, we’re singing. Who will guide the weary. Chorus Alma Mater, strong and true, Alma Mater, ever, Benedict, we sing to you, Faithful we forever. ***The assembly will please stand for the benediction and retiring of the colors. *** THE BENEDICTION .............................................................................................................Reverend Lillie Burgess THE RETIRING OF THE COLORS ................................................................... Benedict College Army Reserve Offi cer Training Corps - Color Guard THE ACADEMIC RECESSION: Pomp and Circumstance, Theme from March No. 1 (Land of Hope and Glory) .....................................................Edward Elgar ***The assembly will please be seated and remain seated until the recession has ended.*** THE POSTLUDE: I’m Getting Ready ...................................................................................Tasha Cobb and Nicki Minaj HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT TIFFANY D. CROSS DOCTOR OF HUMANE LETTERS (L.H.D.) DEGREE Your journey from Cleveland, Ohio, to the Benedict College campus in Columbia, South Carolina, has been one of climbing higher mountains to reach ever increasing goals and accomplishments. Along the way, you made pivotal stops in Atlanta, Georgia, Washington, D.C., and many other cities too numerous to list here. At each stop, you accentuated your career path, expanded your horizons, and exposed your innate abilities and skills as you ascended from former District of Columbia Bureau Chief, BET News, to Liaison to the Obama Administration for the BET Network, to Resident Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy Institute of Politics, to Bestselling Author, Say It Louder: Black Voters, White Narratives, and Saving Our Democracy, to the current host of the weekly, national broadcast, of The Cross Connection on MSNBC. Your career illustrates the importance of hard work and being prepared to meet the moment. There is no doubt that these values were reinforced in your life during your time at Clark Atlanta University, a sister institution, that not only educates the mind, but also nurtures the spirit of students with unwavering belief in their present abilities and steadfast faith in their futures. You fl awlessly explain the intricacies of the government to a nationwide audience by revealing their power and voice as you said: “I really believe when people understand government better, it gives them a better sense of their own agency and their role in the American body politics.” Your passion for involving citizens in democracy, is demonstrated throughout your bestselling book, Say It Louder: Black Voters, White Narratives, and Saving Our Democracy, which examines the perspectives of Black voters, their role in shaping democracy, and the media’s role in shaping these narratives. Your informed presence in the media at CNN and MSNBC is matched by your intellectualism in the academy as Resident Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy Institute of Politics where you mentor and inspire students with discussions about representation in media, diplomacy, election infrastructure and security, leadership on Capitol Hill and the campaign trail, and bridging the partisan divide. Your broad experience across media, politics, and policy includes more than two decades of navigating newsrooms and campaigns while engaging diff erent constituencies on the ground. Your work includes service as a senior advisor to one of the country’s largest labor organizations to assist communities of color on both a local and national level to help shape the narrative around issues, individuals, and ideologies. For your distinguished

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