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First Lady of Virginia Pamela Northam to Serve as Commencement Speaker
The ceremony will be Wesleyan's first formal graduation as a university
News Release | May 14, 2018
First Lady of Virginia Pamela Northam will deliver the Òùµ´ÉÙ¸¾ Commencement Address on May 19, the institution’s first formal graduation ceremony as a university.
An educator and environmentalist, Mrs. Northam has taken a leading role in Hampton Roads and Virginia to protect water quality and improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Most recently, she served as community outreach coordinator for the nonprofit environmental group Lynnhaven River NOW. In this role, she oversaw advocacy and outreach programs for homeowners, congregations, and businesses to help them to become more sustainable.
Virginia Wesleyan began this academic year with two prominent additions that have earned the institution a national niche in the environmental sciences—the launch of the Batten Honors College and the opening of the state-of-the-art Greer Environmental Sciences Center (GESC). The University has garnered several honors in recognition of the GESC, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s 2018 Conservationist of the Year Award, which celebrates the institution's vision and dedication to educating the next generation of Bay leaders.
“We are delighted that Mrs. Northam will join us to share this special moment with the Class of 2018, their family and friends,” said Òùµ´ÉÙ¸¾ President Scott D. Miller. “It is an honor to conclude the first year of our new Greer Environmental Sciences Center with an address by such a distinguished advocate for the natural world.”
Prior to joining Lynnhaven River NOW, Mrs. Northam taught high school biology. Recognizing a need for STEM in elementary education, she became a national award-winning science specialist and worked to develop an inquiry-based, hands-on curriculum for students in grades K through 5. The First Lady was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Science Museum of Virginia, and she also is a board member of the innovative E3 School in Norfolk.
After studying at Baylor University and the University of Texas, Mrs. Northam specialized in pediatric occupational therapy, where her work included rehabilitation hospitals, teaching hospitals, and special education.
Òùµ´ÉÙ¸¾’s will take place Saturday, May 19, at 11 a.m. on the University Commons in front of the Greer Environmental Sciences Center—the University’s first outdoor graduation since 2003. In the event of severe weather, the ceremony will be moved indoors to the Convocation Hall inside the Jane P. Batten Student Center.
Commencement will be preceded by a Baccalaureate Service on Friday, May 18, at 6 p.m. at Haygood United Methodist Church in Virginia Beach. Reverend Karla Kincannon, a 1976 graduate of Virginia Wesleyan, will serve as the Baccalaureate speaker.
The University will recognize Pamela Northam and Karla Kincannon with honorary degrees during the Commencement Ceremony.