Commencement scheduled for Saturday, May 9

PHILIPPI, W.Va. – Alderson Broaddus University is excited for Illinois Wesleyan University President, Dr. Richard Wilson ’68, to return home as the 2015 commencement speaker on Saturday, May 9, 2015, at 1 P.M. in Rex Pyles Arena in the Memorial Coliseum.

The traditional Baccalaureate Ceremony will take place on Friday evening, May 8 at 7 P.M. in Wilcox Chapel. Last year, AB moved Baccalaureate to Friday night to create a more intimate ceremony for its graduates and their families. The Rev. Dr. Dennis Johnson will give the Baccalaureate Address entitled “Long Enough at the Mountain.”

On Saturday, May 9, Dr. Richard F. Wilson, who graduated from Alderson-Broaddus College (now Alderson Broaddus University) in 1968, and started his career in higher education at AB as director of admissions, will address this year’s graduates with a speech entitled “Reflections of Making a Difference.”

Dr. Richard Wilson has served as the President of Illinois Wesleyan University since 2004. He has had a very successful career in higher education, and to our knowledge, is the only AB alum that has ever become a college or university president.

President Wilson earned master and doctoral degrees in higher education from the University of Michigan, and is a member of both Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi national honor societies.

Over the last 10 years, Wilson has given special attention to implementing a strategic plan for Illinois Wesleyan, strengthening the University’s financial position, and conducting the largest fund-raising campaign in the school’s history.

Prior to his appointment at Illinois Wesleyan, Richard Wilson held several leadership positions over a 26-year period at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, culminating as Associate Chancellor for Development and Vice President of the University of Illinois Foundation.

In 2013, Wilson was elected to serve a second term as chair of the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities. He is a board member for the McLean County Historical Society, the Illinois Wesleyan Board of Trustees, and the Economic Development Council of the Bloomington-Normal Area.

President Wilson and his wife, Dr. Patricia Shearer-Wilson, have two married children, Adam and Rachel. Dr. Patricia Shearer-Wilson is the daughter of former Alderson Broaddus President Dr. Richard Shearer and Dr. Ruth Shearer. President Shearer is the longest AB tenured president, having served for 32 years, and is credited for the renaissance that took place on the Philippi campus with the construction of 11 new buildings during the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

Commencement will be streamed online with full audio and video for those relatives and friends who cannot make it to campus. Information regarding the weekend’s activities will be posted as it becomes available at: ab.edu/graduation.

Event to raise awareness for clean drinking water in Kenya and Ethiopia

PHILIPPI, W.Va. – Alderson Broaddus University hosts annual “Be Hope to Her Water Walk” on Saturday, April 25, 2015 at 12 pm on the campus quad. The event is to bring awareness to the need for clean drinking water in Kenya and Ethiopia.

“Last year we had over 30 people and this year we are looking to have even more walk with us, carrying a yellow bucket of water on top of our heads to bring awareness to this problem and to ‘Be Hope to Her,’” says student Ashley Davis, one of the event’s organizers.

The student organization sponsoring the walk, NURU International, focuses on ending extreme poverty in these two countries and also the importance of clean water.

“The ‘Be Hope to Her’ name comes from the fact that the women in these countries are the ones that spend numerous hours in their day to collect the water,” says Davis. “Therefore they miss things that we take for granted here.”

The event is donation based and all donations will be donated to NURU International. If you are interested in participating in this event or would like more information, please email Ashley Davis at davisad@battlers.ab.edu.

Featuring Concert Choir and Concert Band

PHILIPPI, W.Va. – The Alderson Broaddus University School of Music presents its Concert Choir and Concert Band in spring concert on Friday, April 24th at 7:30pm in Wilcox Chapel.

The concert will feature a tour of American Music. Both ensembles will pay tribute to the music that is purely American purely meant for the choir and concert band idioms. The final piece will be conducted by the winner of the 2014 AB conducting competition, student Adam Gillespie.

Under the direction of Dr. Lauren Lindsey and Mr. Christopher McDerment, the concert will be shared with the entire AB campus, Philippi community, and AB Board of Trustees members. This event is free and open to the public.