News Release

The Class of 2013

2013 graduates: Share your Manchester

experience to make the world better

“That’s my girl!” The mom’s proud shoutout as her daughter received her Manchester University diploma was joyfully embraced by 2,500 Graduation Day celebrants of the Class of 2013.

Applause and cheers greeted recipients of 262 bachelor degrees, two associate degrees, 11 Master of Education degrees and four Master of Athletic Training degrees at the May 19 ceremony. A total of 43 graduates wore gold cords designating their degrees are “with honors.”

The University also awarded a Doctor of Science honorary degree to solar physicist Sarah Kurtz, a principal scientist for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The 1979 Manchester physics and chemistry graduate is internationally recognized for her ground-breaking research in super-efficient solar cells for powering homes, businesses and even satellites and Mars rovers.

True to her Manchester roots, Kurtz challenged the graduates to use their interests and talents to solve problems. It was a common theme throughout the day as speakers urged graduates to share their abilities and convictions garnered at Manchester to make the world a better – and more hospitable – place.

“At its core, hospitality means being kind to strangers,” said President Jo Young Switzer. “It means welcoming those who might not be welcomed by others – people with skin color or religious beliefs different than ours, people with more piercings than we like, people whose mental illness or memory loss makes them act inappropriately.”

Hospitality takes courage and strength, Switzer warned. “Small changes in our lives, cultivated over time, can reshape us and our communities.”

Students and their parents (and grandparents) thanked faculty and staff who had helped them and their students along the Manchester journey.

“I have seen that each person here has a unique set of abilities and spiritual gifts that you've developed through the pursuit of knowledge and through actions toward others,” physics major Dylan T. Ford of Tipton, Ind., told the graduating class at Baccalaureate service. “I've learned not to be so proud to think that I can function without relying on the rest of you, so thank you for being that support.”

Yousra Kamoona left Baghdad, Iraq, four years ago to embark on a Manchester education. While her journey began timidly, she soon was stepping boldly into friendships, academic challenges and campus life.

“Do not be afraid of change, change is good. If it is not good, then change it,” advised Kamoona, a computer science major. “Do not think of change and differences as having to change yourself … think of it as discovering more about yourself and adding more to your experiences. Be willing to see it, accept it, and embrace it.”

Just as the graduates and their families shared their appreciation, their Manchester “support system” of faculty and staff and coaches echoed President Switzer’s final words of the day:

“Thank you for choosing Manchester. We are stronger because you have been here.”

Class of 2013

    ***summa cum laude  **magna cum laude  *cum laude

Commencement 2013
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Graduation 2013
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