Francis Marion celebrated its Fall 2024 graduating class in two ceremonies held in the Smith University Center on campus. Over 200 graduates received their degrees. 94 percent of the graduating class was comprised of South Carolina residents.
On Friday night, students from the Schools of Business and Health Sciences were awarded their degrees. Graduates from the College of Liberal Arts and School of Education received their degrees during Saturday morning’s ceremony.
FMU President Fred Carter congratulated the graduates on the special occasion and offered words of wisdom to them as they move forward in their journeys.
“In our society, the degree defines you – not only as a person who has acquired an education, but as one who will continue to value intellectual development throughout life,” said Carter. “This pursuit of life-long learning and understanding may well be the most distinctive achievement of a college graduate. It is certainly the most respected one.”
On Friday evening, Pamela Evette, Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, delivered the commencement address and received an honorary Doctor of Humanities from the university.
Evette is the 93rd Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina and the first female Republican lieutenant governor. She is an entrepreneur and businesswoman, and has received numerous business and professional accolades, including the ATHENA Leadership Award® and the Enterprising Woman of the Year Award. She received a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Cleveland State University.
During her address, the Lieutenant Governor congratulated the graduates on all of their success and noted that they are the future of South Carolina as teachers, professors, entrepreneurs, and CEO’s. She reminded them to reflect on their education and look to the future with excitement for the incredible journeys that await them.
“As you reflect on your years at FMU, I’d like all of us to take a moment to recognize that persisting in one’s education is nothing short of remarkable,” said Evette. “Each of you are here today because you had the determination, resilience, and perseverance to continue – even when obstacles stood in your way.”
Senior United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell delivered the commencement address and was presented with an honorary Doctor of Humanities during Saturday morning’s ceremony.
Judge Harwell served as the Chief United States District Judge for the District of South Carolina from 2019 until June of 2024 when he assumed senior judge status. In 2004, he was nominated as a federal district judge by President George W. Bush and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate. Prior to his appointment, he practiced law until 2004.
Harwell served as a Captain in the JAG Corps of the South Carolina Army National Guard and was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, by former Governor David Beasley. Harwell holds a Bachelor of Arts from Clemson University and the Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.
In his remarks, Judge Harwell emphasized the importance of relationships throughout life and urged the graduates to remember that while many things will change throughout their lives, the relationships they make are the most important.
“Change is inevitable,” said Harwell. “New inventions will come and go. But, the one constant, the one thing that is invariable, fixed, and forever unchanging is the importance of the relationships you make.”
14 students graduated Summa Cum Laude (“with greatest praise”) after completing degree requirements with a cumulative GPA of 3.9 or higher. They were Elyanna Grace Bauer (Florence, SC), Savannah Michelle Bird (Florence, SC), Farouk Abdul-Ghani Chatila (Florence, SC), Lindsey Taylor Collins (Timmonsville, SC), Kiersten Delaney Hartfield (Johnsonville, SC), Elizabeth Amber Herndon (North Augusta, SC), Chastity Cuentes Lubang (Greenwood, SC), Morgan Ashleigh O’Melia (Greenville, SC), Madeline Faye Severance (Darlington, SC), Haley Victoria Sink (Moseley, VA), Alexander Smith (Florence, SC), Mary Kathleen Smith (Greenwood, SC), Misty Stubbs (Dillon, SC), and Hayleigh J. Watrous (Florence, SC).
13 students graduated Magna Cum Laude (“with high praise”) in recognition of a cumulative GPA between 3.75 and 3.89. They were Sabrina Marie Avila (Summerville, SC), Heather Grace Buie (Florence, SC), Gentry Grace Durham (Pickens, SC), Quinn Alaina Franklin (Florence, SC), Mary Dominique Obejero Gillera (Florence, SC), Lindsay Faith Hutchinson (Pamplico, SC), Ahmad Tyler Leggette (Lugoff, SC), A’bria Adriana Moore (Lugoff, SC), Amber Elizabeth Mumford (Bennettsville, SC), Bhakti Patel (Florence, SC), Kamryn Tennille Phillips (Chesterfield, SC), Emma Carolyne Steen (Hartsville, SC), and Vandi Louise Timmons (Lake City, SC).
17 students graduated Cum Laude (“with praise”) after completing degree requirements with a GPA between 3.5 and 3.74. They were Andrew Walter Ackerman (Andrews, SC), Jhancarlo Miguel Palma Andueza (Florence, SC), Kearson Bean (Fork, SC), Charity Janae Cain (Little Rock, SC), Chandler Miles Gause (Lake City, SC), Laney Denise Gibbons (Lake City, SC), Haley Adriana Hardway (Scranton, SC), Damiya M. McLaurin (Bennettsville, SC), Zoe Abigail McPherson (Florence, SC), James Christoper Miller (Kingstree, SC), Brennan Cai Murphy (Harrogate, TN), Kirsten Grace Norton (Hartsville, SC), Miguel Bello Perez (Madrid, Spain), Blake Giovanni Rogers (Florence, SC), Brittany Nicole Sehnke (Florence, SC), Leah Elizabeth Stone (Johnsonville, SC), and Merissa Christine Taylor (Florence, SC).
One student also graduated with University Honors. To graduate with University Honors, students must complete twenty-one credit hours in Honors courses and maintain an overall GPA of 3.25 or higher. This semester’s University Honors graduate is Andrew Walter Ackerman.
