The University of Mobile awarded approximately 370 degrees during its 49th commencement ceremony, held on a Saturday morning at the Mobile Civic Center in front of family, friends and faculty.
University President Dr. Mark Foley addressed the graduating class of the Christian university, encouraging students to hold firmly to their beliefs as they enter a rapidly changing culture. Foley told graduates the university’s mission is to prepare men and women who not only master their chosen field of study but also understand what they believe and why, so they can use their influence to make a positive difference in their communities and careers.
Two students received the university’s highest honors. Danielle Rae Standifer, a Chattanooga, Tennessee, native who graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English and humanities, received the top award given to an outstanding female graduate. During her time on campus, Standifer served as president of an English honor society, published poetry, tutored fellow students in the writing center and took part in international mission trips to Europe and Central America, all while maintaining a perfect grade point average.
The top honor for a male graduate went to Joel E. King of Auburn, who earned a bachelor’s degree in music cum laude. King served as a resident assistant and led the university’s student government association while also serving as a church music minister in Chickasaw throughout his college years. He performed in several operatic productions on campus and sang with multiple university vocal ensembles.
Additional academic honors were handed out a day earlier during the university’s Honors Convocation. Students from across the Mobile area were recognized, including nursing, business, education and psychology graduates from Mobile, Satsuma, Semmes, Citronelle and Chunchula, along with out-of-state students who traveled to Mobile for their degrees.
University of Mobile, a private Baptist-affiliated institution founded more than five decades ago, continues to be one of the region’s notable centers of higher education, drawing students from across Alabama and the Gulf Coast into its nursing, business, education, music and ministry programs. The spring ceremony capped a academic year for the university’s various colleges and schools, sending graduates into fields ranging from healthcare to worship leadership.
University officials said the commencement, split this year to accommodate award recognitions the day before, reflects the growing size of the graduating classes coming through the Mobile campus each spring.