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Senior Student Athletes Graduate In Special Ceremony
5/12/2009 2:15:00 PM | Baseball, Women's Lacrosse
DURHAM, N.C. ? On Monday morning seniors from the baseball and women's lacrosse teams received their diplomas in a small and personal graduation ceremony held inside Wilson Gym.
“We don't want them to feel as if they have missed anything,” Dr. Chris Kennedy, the deputy director of athletics said. “This is a real, serious, full blown graduation ceremony.”
Duke University's official graduation ceremony was held Sunday inside Wallace Wade Stadium, but the seniors on the two teams were unable to attend because each sport had a match. The baseball team was in Charlottesville, Va. taking on the Virginia Cavaliers. The women's lacrosse team was hosting the opening round of the NCAA Tournament defeating Virginia 15-13 in overtime.
For at least the last 15 years, under the organization of Dr. Kennedy, Duke has held a graduation ceremony for student athletes who were unable to attend the main graduation.
“Its evolved over the years into a more and more formal program because we realized that the kids just weren't missing out on a graduation ceremony, but they were missing out on the ceremonial part of it,” Dr. Kennedy said.
The original athlete graduation ceremony that Dr. Kennedy started was simple. The Dean would say a few words and shake the graduating athlete's hands. No robes were donned. No diplomas were handed out. No music was played.
“As the years have gone by we have had their diplomas pulled and make the kids wear their robes, we wear our robes, we have a precession, we have music, we have much more formal speeches and we actually present them with their diplomas, which you don't get that in the big ceremony in Wallace Wade Stadium,” Dr. Kennedy said.
Receiving their diplomas were Kyle Butler, Nate Freiman, Tim Sherlock, Matt Williams and Andrew Wolcott of the baseball team. Jess Adam, Caroline Cryer, Carolyn Davis, Megan Del Monte, Christina Germinario, Kim Imbesi and Jessica McBride received their diplomas from the women's lacrosse team.
“This was great,” Freiman said. “I have been to it the last three years and I have seen the older guys graduate. To actually be a part of this was really great. It makes you feel like you're truly part of Duke and athletics to have this special ceremony.”
The entire team and staff of both baseball and women's lacrosse attended the ceremony as well as the families of the student athletes, who were treated to brunch after the presentation of the diplomas.
Lee Baker, Dean of Academic Affairs of Trinity College, and Steve Nowicki, Dean and Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education, spoke before Dr. Kennedy presented the student athletes with their diplomas.
“What we try to do, and what I tell them every year, is that this is better because if you are a parent or a grandparent or a sibling or whatever, in the Wallace Wade Stadium graduation you may be able to find your graduate down there,” Dr. Kennedy said. “Maybe if you saw them walk in and you watch them all the way until they get into that seas of robes, but it's not intimate. There is a lot of stuff going on.”
“In this one we tell them your graduates are right here, your graduate will be recognized individually and congratulated by the Dean of Undergraduate Education and the Dean of Trinity College,” Dr. Kennedy added. “You can take a picture of your kid getting his degree and we will have an intimate reception afterwards. It is a much more personalized, much warmer kind of a ceremony.”
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