Harding University’s fall commencement will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16 in Benson Auditorium celebrating the accomplishments of nearly 400 students.
Members of this semester’s graduating class represent seven countries including China, Sudan, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands as well as 39 different states and the District of Columbia.
Nineteen different degrees will be conferred from the College of Allied Health, College of Arts and Humanities, College of Bible and Ministry, Paul R. Carter College of Business Administration, Cannon-Clary College of Education, Carr College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, College of Sciences, and the Honors College.
President Bruce McLarty will present diplomas to all graduates at the ceremony. The University also will honor Dr. Jack Zorn, founder of Lads to Leaders Inc., with an honorary doctorate for his contributions to the churches of Christ.
The speaker will be Harding alumnus Dr. Herb Byrd III, who has worked for the University of Tennessee for almost 33 years. He currently serves as vice president for public service overseeing the University’s statewide Institute for Public Service.
As a volunteer in the community, Byrd has earned recognition from chamber of commerce, local government and higher education organizations. He has worked with medical mission teams on multiple trips to serve South and Central America. He has been an elder and regular Bible teacher in his local congregation and is currently president of Teenage Christian Camp located in Knoxville, Tennessee. From 1996 to 1998, Byrd served as vice president for Lads to Leaders Inc., a program designed to train young people to grow and develop skills for the Lord’s kingdom.
Doors open at 9 a.m. For more information about the commencement ceremony, visit www.harding.edu/graduation .