University honors more than 700 students, graduates first Doctor of Nursing Practice class
Waynesburg University held its annual commencement exercises honoring more than 700 undergraduate and graduate students, including the first graduating class of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree program, Sunday, May 16. The class of 2010 is the largest graduating class in the university’s history.
Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr. delivered the commencement address which focused on Waynesburg University’s mission of faith, learning and serving.
“I commend the mission of Waynesburg University, and I am struck by the importance of that mission,” Casey said to the graduates. “You have been inspired [at Waynesburg University], and you will need to draw upon that deep reservoir throughout your lives.”
Casey encouraged the class of 2010 to make a commitment and “remain ever-steadfast to that commitment.”
“If you serve the least, last and lost among us, your faith will fortify you,” he said.
Forty-one students received their Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees. Implemented in January 2007, Waynesburg’s program was one of the first 25 DNP programs implemented in the country. The class was represented by Dr. Ronda Morgan who spoke during the commencement ceremony.
“We leave this place with something more precious than knowledge. We leave with a broader thinking, a deeper understanding and a new level of confidence to make the places we have been better than when we arrived,” Morgan said.
Andrea Marciova represented the master’s degree students and urged graduates to embrace learning. Jenna Epler, a biology and pre-physical therapy major from Lewisburg, Pa., and Sarah Hulyk, an English major from Greensburg, Pa., were named valedictorians. Hulyk delivered the valedictory.
Waynesburg University awarded the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology degree, the Master of Arts in Teaching degree, the Master of Business Administration degree, the Master of Education degree, the Master of Science in Nursing degree, the Bachelor of Arts degree, the Bachelor of Management and Leadership degree, the Bachelor of Science degree, the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, the Associate of Science in Allied Health degree, and the Associate of Arts in General Studies degree.
Prior to commencement exercises, George Nethercutt delivered the baccalaureate address, “Making Plans,” to graduates and their parents. His address focused on Jeremiah 29:11, which states, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Nethercutt shared that although plans are often interrupted by opportunity or circumstance, God-centered plans serve as the best model.
“I’m convinced that God doesn’t care how many times we change our plans, but I do know that He wants to be with us,” he said. “As you go forward, accept God’s invitation to accompany you along the way.”
Founded in 1849 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Waynesburg University is located on a traditional campus in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, with three adult centers located in the Pittsburgh region. The University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and is one of only 27 Bonner Scholar schools in the country, offering local, regional and international opportunities to touch the lives of others through service.
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Released May 16, 2010
Contact: Pam Cunningham, Assistant Director of University Relations
724.852.3384 or pcunning@waynesburg.edu