EDINBORO — Reflecting upon decades of rich academic customs and traditions, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania President Julie E. Wollman will confer graduate and undergraduate degrees upon 528 students during separate commencement ceremonies Saturday.

And a well-known Crawford County health care specialist will be featured in the graduation day event.

Edinboro’s newest group of graduates will be the audience for a commencement address delivered by Meadville resident John E. Brown, founder in 1989 of Hospice of Crawford County, the only such hospice program in the region at the time.

Brown, a writer, ordained minister, pastoral counselor and musician, served as Hospice of Crawford County’s first CEO, pastoral counselor and music therapist.

He was president of the board of directors and continues to hold positions within the organization. He also served on the board of the Pennsylvania Hospice Network, and currently is pastoral counselor at Meadville Medical Center.

The ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. at McComb Fieldhouse. Following the ceremonial procession of faculty and graduating students, Wollman will confer upon students 357 bachelor’s degrees and 21 associate degrees. Beginning at 2 p.m. in the historic Louis C. Cole Auditorium-Memorial Hall, Wollman will confer upon students 150 master’s degrees.

Following a welcome from Wollman and greetings from John E. Horan, chair of Edinboro’s Council of Trustees, and after Brown’s address, Rachel Cracolici-Valentine, who will receive a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and is graduating cum laude, will deliver the student address.

The formal graduation begins when Dr. Michael J. Hannan, interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs; Dr. Scott E. Miller, acting dean, School of Business; Dr. Susan Curtin, associate dean, School of Education; and Dr. Terry L. Smith, dean, College of Arts and Sciences, present to Wollman candidates for degrees.

As the ceremony concludes, Joseph Mineo, president of the Edinboro University Alumni Association’s Board of Directors, will welcome the university’s newest alumni to the growing alumni network of some 60,000 graduates.

A total of 71 academic majors will be represented. The largest number of students will be graduating with degrees in education, art, business administration, nursing and criminal justice.





Did you know



-Of the 528 graduates, 357 will receive bachelor’s degrees; 150 will receive master’s degrees; and 21 will receive associate degrees.

-Latin honors will be awarded to 95 students. Thirty-two will receive summa cum laude honors (3.8 to 4.0 grade point average); 29 will receive magna cum laude honors (3.6 to 3.79 grade point average); and 34 will graduate cum laude (3.4 to 3.59 grade point average).

-Two-hundred two graduating students reside in Erie County; 73 are from Crawford County.

-Three-hundred fifty-nine graduates are female; 169 are male.

-The oldest is 61; the youngest, 20.





Watch event



Live video of both ceremonies will be streamed via Edinboro’s website and can be viewed online by logging onto edinboro.edu. The ceremonies also will be telecast live by the University’s student-run television station, ETV.









Nurses to be honored during special event



Following Saturday’s commencement from 4 to 6 p.m. in Van Houten Dining Hall South, students graduating with nursing degrees will be recognized during a traditional pinning ceremony, with faculty member Victoria Hedderick serving as emcee and Dr. Amy McClune delivering the faculty address.

The pinning ceremony marks the completion of the first part of the journey to becoming a nurse. Although the graduates’ formal education is completed, continued learning in nursing is a life-long pursuit. Thus, the pinning ceremony can be looked upon as the bridge that carries the individual from the role of student to the reality of becoming a professional.

The current nursing graduates are among the first to experience the new Jeremy D. Brown Human Services Building, designed to meet the specialized needs of the Nursing Department.