McDaniel celebrates 154th Commencement on Saturday, May 18

McDaniel College celebrates its 154th Commencement for the Class of 2024 on Saturday, May 18. More than 600 master's and bachelor's degrees are expected to be awarded during two ceremonies.

Graduate ceremony begins at 10 a.m., followed by the undergraduate ceremony at 2 p.m. Both ceremonies take place in the college’s Gill Center. A live stream of both ceremonies will also be available online at mcdaniel.edu/commencement.

Graduate Commencement speaker is Mona Kerby, the L. Stanley Bowlsbey Endowed Chair at McDaniel College. Kerby coordinates the college’s School Librarianship program and is coordinator of the Writing for Children and Young Adults and Learning Technologies Specialist certificate programs.

Awards to be given during the graduate commencement ceremony include The Shelton Adjunct Faculty Award to an adjunct faculty member whose teaching demonstrates a commitment to excellence and genuine care for students; The Ira G. Zepp Teaching Enhancement Grant to a faculty member for further excellence in teaching; and The B. Jill Brooks Hodge Professional Development Award to a graduate student who has demonstrated academic excellence with a strong compassion for individuals with special needs and an interest in serving the Deaf or disabled.

Higher education leader Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president emeritus of University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), is the Commencement speaker for the college’s undergraduate ceremony. Hrabowski, who served as president at UMBC from 1992 to 2022, is an educator, author, and mathematician, known for his advocacy for science and math education, particularly for minority students. Named one of the “100 Most influential People in the World” and one of America’s “10 Best College Presidents” by Time, Hrabowski is the recipient of numerous honors and recognitions and was named the inaugural ACE Centennial Fellow from the American Council on Education. 

In addition, an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree will be awarded during the undergraduate ceremony to Greg Kahlert, president of the Kahlert Foundation, which provides grants to nonprofits, including McDaniel, along with other education, health care, youth programs, veterans organizations, and human services organizations. Kahlert was selected as Carroll Magazine’s Person of the Year in 2019 and the Kahlert Foundation was named the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Maryland 2017 Outstanding Foundation of the Year.

Winners of two undergraduate awards are revealed during the undergraduate commencement ceremony. The Argonaut Award, to the graduating senior with the highest cumulative grade-point average, and The Edith Farr Ridington Writing Award, to the graduating senior who writes the best paper, are presented.

The Ira G. Zepp Distinguished Teaching Award, which recognizes inspired classroom work and dedication to students, is also given to an outstanding faculty member during the undergraduate commencement ceremony.