AB to celebrate 150 years with the Commencement celebration on May 8

News Release
May 2, 2021

PHILIPPI, W.Va. — Alderson Broaddus University will celebrate student success during the 150th commencement. Three in-person commencement celebrations will be held off-campus at the Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center in Clarksburg, West Virginia, on Saturday, May 8, 2021. Each ceremony will be live-streamed and recorded for later viewing.

Commencement has always been a time of celebration for Alderson Broaddus University. With the 2021 graduating class, AB can add 186 more members to its more than 8,000 alumni living and working in all 50 states and 20 countries. Graduates from the Class of 2020 are invited to participate and will have the opportunity to walk in a traditional graduation ceremony.

“This year’s ceremonies for the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021 represent a significant milestone,” explained Dr. Joan Propst, chair of the Alderson Broaddus Commencement Planning Committee. “To fulfill our commitment to finding an alternate time to honor our 2020 graduates, we invited them to participate in this year’s 150th Commencement Celebration.”

In place of the traditional single ceremony, the Commencement Planning Committee organized three ceremonies; students will graduate according to the College in which they have earned their degree. The Colleges will hold their respective ceremonies according to the following times on Saturday, May 8:

Health, Science, Technology & Mathematics and Anatomy – 9 a.m.
Business and Extended Learning – Noon
Humanities & Social Sciences and Education – 3 p.m.

Graduates are permitted four guests to the ceremony, and necessary precautions have been made to accommodate public health protocols while also making the experience memorable for graduates and their families.

In a prerecorded message, this year’s commencement speaker John E. Dooley ’76, will address the graduates with a speech titled The AB Experience: Three Important Life Lessons. Dooley is the chief executive officer (CEO) for the Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc., a position he assumed July 1, 2012, following ten years as Virginia Tech’s vice president for outreach and international affairs. A native of Summersville, West Virginia, Dooley is a proud graduate of the AB class of 1976 with a degree in elementary education. He also earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. at Virginia Tech. Both graduate degrees are in higher education administration.

Dooley will virtually receive the University’s highest award during the commencement ceremonies, an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. James E. “Jim” Shriver ’57 and Valerie Ash Woodruff ’66 will also be virtually receiving honorary degrees, Doctor of Business and Doctor of Education, respectively. AB awards honorary degrees to recognize those who have made profound and enduring contributions to scholarship, culture, and improved quality of life in society at large.

Commencement updates will continue to be shared via email and online. In the meantime, check the ab.edu/graduation website for updated information about the 2021 Commencement Celebrations.