Monday, December 10, 2018

Updated 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 15

UNCW graduated 1,837 undergraduates, 449 graduate students and 10 doctoral students during the fall 2018 commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 15 in Trask Coliseum.

The ceremony for the professional schools (Cameron School of Business, Watson College of Education and the College of Health and Human Services) began at 9:30 a.m. Candace Thompson, associate professor and chair of the Department of Instructional Technology, Foundations, and Secondary Education in the Watson College of Education, delivered remarks.

Thompson earned her Ph.D. in the social foundations of education from the University of South Carolina in 2008. She served as interim director of UNCW’s Upperman African American Cultural Center from 2015-16, and more recently, as coordinator of the undergraduate foundations and educational studies minor programs in the WCE. Her research interests include youth voice and empowerment; culturally responsive education; and developing culturally competent teachers through school and community-based collaborations.

The College of Arts and Sciences commencement exercises began at 1 p.m. Margaret Spellings, President of the University of North Carolina System, gave the address. Since becoming president of the 17-institution University of North Carolina System in 2016, Spellings has led the UNC System into a new period of performance, affordability and growth, guided by a strategic plan that is improving graduation rates, reducing achievement gaps and ensuring access for students of every background. She is slated to step down in March 2019.

A photo gallery will be posted to the UNCW homepage the week of Dec. 17. Social media users can use #UNCW2018 to tag commencement-related posts. Rebroadcasts of the ceremonies will be available here at a later date.

-- Caroline Cropp

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