Hardin-Simmons University held its Spring Commencement Saturday, May 12, in Behrens Chapel on the HSU campus. University President, Dr. Craig Turner, conferred 215 bachelors, and 47 masters degrees. With December’s largest ever graduation, and Saturday’s only 1 graduate short of the Spring record, the 2006 academic year produced the most graduates ever for HSU, with 537 degrees conferred.

One grad, visiting the Alumni Wall, seems astonished that she actually made it through.

At the 10:00 a.m. ceremony, candidates from the Cynthia Ann Parker College of Liberal Arts, the Holland School of Sciences and Mathematics, the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing and the Logsdon School of Theology received degrees.

Retiring Senior Professor of theology Dr. Ron Smith delivered the morning commencement address and challenged graduates to understand that the possession of a degree does not mean that the possessor is thereby qualified to join the ranks of the truly educated. His charge, “Footprints,” inspired by the poem, “Psalm of Life” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, invited them to consider what might characterize a truly educated person, how one might become such a person, and why doing so is important not only to the graduates themselves, but also to those who will follow them.

The 2:00 p.m. commencement conferred degrees for candidates from the Kelly College of Business, the Irvin School of Education, and the School of Music.

Dr. Mary Christopher, associate professor of Education, delivered the afternoon address, and used characters and the plot of The Wizard of Oz as a metaphor of life ahead for the graduates. She spoke of how Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion all represent aspects of each student’s character that will guide them through life’s journey. As the cyclone takes each graduate from Kansas (HSU), what do they rely on to find the way in a new world? The search for wisdom, a heart (place of service), courage (a need to take necessary risks to reach a goal), and difficulties along the way teach the very object of the search and reveals that the journey itself completes each person; although it is not a wizard that will confront them with this awareness, but God Himself.

Graduating senior Natalie Talty, student of Dr. Jaynne Middleton, performed special music during the morning exercises, and Shawn Rausch, student of Dr. William Mouat performed during the afternoon ceremony.