Shenandoah University held its 2024 Commencement on Saturday, May 18, in the James R. Wilkins, Jr. Athletics and Events Center, celebrating 1,429 graduates from the 2023-24 academic year. That total includes 209 August 2023 graduates, 362 December 2023 graduates and 858 candidates for May 2024 degree conferrals.
University President Tracy Fitzsimmons, Ph.D., opened commencement with a welcome message, and the ceremony included remarks from Kyle Feldman ’11, ’14, president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors and member of the Shenandoah University Board of Trustees, and Student Government Association President Nick Markovina ’25.
In her opening remarks, Fitzsimmons encouraged SU grads to take the lessons they’ve learned and “make a difference.”
I hope that you will think about your degree not as some professional training that is all about just how to do something, but that your education is much broader.It’s about how to be, how to act, how to interact, how to stand up for what you believe in, how to speak up and – I know you do this so well – how to speak up civilly with respect for others even when you disagree, how to be a good neighbor and a leading citizen in whatever community and discipline you end up in. That’s why your Shenandoah faculty members love to teach you. Yes, you are extraordinary in your chosen field, but they believe in you being the best of the best. We don’t have just one star at Shenandoah. We have hundreds and hundreds who graduate every year, and we look forward to celebrating with you here today.”
Shenandoah University President Tracy Fitzsimmons, Ph.D.
This year’s commencement included special recognition of the members of SU’s Class of 2024 who didn’t get to experience a normal high school graduation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Shenandoah Marching Band paid tribute to that group of graduates by playing 20 notes, and graduates who wore their 2020 high school graduation tassels alongside their SU tassels were invited to turn them during a special moment to symbolize their high school graduations at the beginning of the ceremony.
The gesture capped a week’s worth of events that Shenandoah University hosted this commencement season to celebrate that group of graduates, following up on a promise that Fitzsimmons made during New Student Convocation in 2020.
“Not only did you trust SU with your education, like every other graduate before you, but you also trusted it with your health, with your safety and growth during a global pandemic. As family members, you trusted our faculty, staff and leadership to keep your loved ones safe. We appreciate that honor, and we do not take it lightly,” Feldman said.
During the ceremony, Fitzsimmons awarded a President’s Medal to alumnus Wilbur Dove ’59, a longtime supporter of the university. Dove and his wife, Clare, generously gifted $20 million to Shenandoah University – the largest single donation in its 149-year history – for a future performing and visual arts center currently being studied at SU. The donation, which the Doves made in anticipation of Shenandoah’s sesquicentennial in 2025, was announced on April 25.
Dove, a Winchester native, received his junior college degree from what was then Shenandoah College and Conservatory in 1959 and was a member of the final class to attend Shenandoah at its former Dayton, Virginia, location. He later became senior vice president of a commercial bank and a chief financial officer for a real estate investment company before creating his own financial investment business, National Development Associates, where he served as president over 30 years.
For over 65 years, Dove has been committed to sharing the story of Shenandoah’s humble beginnings as a member of the university’s Dayton Alumni Society. Previous gifts from the Doves allowed for the construction of Dove’s Nest and Dove’s Nest II – two apartment-style residence halls on Shenandoah’s main campus in Winchester, Virginia – and endowment of the The Rev. Bruce D. Gearhart Scholarship.
Shenandoah also awarded a Doctor of Humanities honoris causa to Dr. Tho Ha Vinh and Lisi Ha Vinh. Dr. Tho Ha Vinh is the co-founder and chairman of the Eurasia Learning Institute for Happiness and Wellbeing (ELI). Lisi Ha Vinh is co-founder of ELI, has worked and lived with children and youths with disabilities for nearly 30 years, and is active in various peace movements such as the Global Peace Initiative of Women.
“Shenandoah University’s vision to educate and inspire individuals who contribute responsibly to their communities and to the world deeply resonates with our own mission,” Lisi Ha Vinh said. “In Vietnam, we work tirelessly to ensure that special education reaches those most in need. Our role is to create an environment where children living with disabilities can thrive, learn, grow with dignity, and contribute to society in meaningful ways. This honorary degree reaffirms that our efforts are seen and valued, and we thank you for that.”
