Gov. Mitch Daniels among graduation weekend guests
Gov. Mitch Daniels will deliver the commencement speech to the Franklin College class of 2010 on May 22.
Franklin president Jay Moseley said the faculty voted to bring Daniels, who writes his own speeches, in as the keynote speaker.
He said he hoped Daniels, who spoke at Butler University’s commencement last year, would be someone the senior class finds interesting.
The Rev. Dr. Bill J. Leonard, dean at the School of Divinity and professor of church history at Wake Forest University, will deliver the address at Baccalaureate.
Commencement will be Saturday, May 22 at 10 a.m. Daniels will receive an honorary doctorate degree from the college. Retired Franklin College archivist Mary Alice Medlicott will also receive an honorary doctorate during the commencement ceremonies.
Baccalaureate will be held the day before commencement on Friday, May 21, at 4:30 p.m. in the Branigin Room. Leonard will receive an honorary doctorate of divinity.
Before Daniels was elected governor in 2004, he was CEO of the Hudson Institute, president of Eli Lilly and Company’s North American Pharmaceutical Operations, chief of staff to Sen. Richard Lugar, senior advisor to President Ronald Reagan and director of the office of management and budget under President George W. Bush.
Leonard is the founding dean of the Wake Forest University Divinity School, which was founded in 1999. He has written over 15 books and frequently speaks at colleges and universities around the world.
Medlicott, a Franklin alum, graduated in 1945 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology.
In order to ensure seating for the families of graduating seniors – each senior was allotted eight – tickets to the general public are very limited.
The Richardson Chapel will be open to the public where a live broadcast of the ceremony will be shown. Chapel doors will open at 9 a.m. No tickets are required.
The ceremony will also be broadcast through the college website under the “Upcoming Events” tab.
