Brenau baccalaureate service celebrates 2020 graduates

Brenau President Anne Skleder speaks to an empty Pearce Auditorium during the university’s live-streamed baccalaureate service. No in-person attendance was allowed in accordance with the university’s culture of prevention. (AJ Reynolds/Brenau University)
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Baxter Bryan scholar Amber Simmons speaks during Brenau’s live-streamed baccalaureate service. (AJ Reynolds/Brenau University)

The Brenau University community gathered Friday evening, Dec. 11, for a virtual baccalaureate service to pay tribute to the university’s more than 700 graduates in 2020.

While not intended to take the place of commencement, Brenau’s live-streamed baccalaureate ceremony — its first since 1994 — was an opportunity to recognize the resilience, patience and hard work of this year’s graduates through reflections, dance and music. The 2020 graduates, whose names were featured as part of the event, included 119 from The Women’s College, 266 undergraduate and 322 graduate students.

Dr. Jim Eck, provost and vice president of academic affairs, opened the ceremony by reflecting on the inspiring accomplishments of Brenau’s graduates over the past year. He was joined on stage at a mostly empty Pearce Auditorium by a small, masked and socially distanced group of faculty, staff and students to align with the university’s culture of prevention.

“Over the past nine months, our sense of community has strengthened,” Eck said. “We have faced unprecedented challenges, and we still look forward to a date in 2021 when we will gather on the lawn of this historic campus and celebrate your graduation.”

Eck said while Brenau was unable to host a commencement ceremony in 2020, baccalaureate services across the nation serve as preludes to commencement and are “a time to reflect upon your years at Brenau and to anticipate the next phase of your lifelong educational journey.”

“You now have a greater sense of authentic confidence in the usefulness of your liberal education, and you can rest assured that your time at Brenau will continue to effectively guide you in the months and years to come,” Eck said.

Before making her own comments, Brenau President Anne Skleder shared a message from Board of Trustees Vice Chair Emmie Henderson Howard, WC ’01 of The Women’s College.

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Kayla Muirhead, front, Jodie Jernigan and Madison Freeman perform a “Kpanlango” a dance from Ghana, during Brenau University’s live-streamed baccalaureate service. (AJ Reynolds/Brenau University)

“It’s been a year of, shall we say, curveballs — but one that reminded me and my fellow board members the reason we chose to serve this institution, and that reason is simply you,” Howard wrote. “You students, alumni, are the lifeblood and heartbeat of this extraordinary place, and we are immensely grateful you chose to walk this journey with us.”

Skleder echoed Howard’s statement, expressing pride and gratitude for all of Brenau’s newest alumni as well as the faculty and staff that supported them along the way.

“I admire each and every one of you, and I have high hopes for each and every one of you,” Skleder said. “One of those high hopes is that at some point you will express your thanks to those who helped you during your time at Brenau.”

“Another hope is that you recognize that you made it through last year, a year like no other, and use this resilience in times of challenge that will surely come. Please remember the world needs each of you to make it what we all hope it will be. You are prepared. You are resilient. You are equipped. You are Brenau strong.”

Speaking on behalf of Brenau’s faculty, Dance Department Chair Madia Cooper-Ashirifi, WC ’04, also shared a message of hope for graduates.

“My words this evening are a reflection of all what we have endured together this year: confusion, unrest, darkness, loss, and many hours drowning in the Zoom abyss,” Cooper-Ashirifi said. “I do not want to wallow in the darkness that has been cast upon us. Trust me, I believe we know very well what is happening in our world right now. So we the faculty want to share and wish you all hope — hope that will continue to guide you and encourage you to be grateful, faithful and to bring peace, and to not only your lives, but all of our lives and into this world.”

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Madia Cooper-Ashirifi, department of dance chair, pauses for a moment of prayer during the invocation. (AJ Reynolds/Brenau University)

Cooper-Ashirifi then introduced students from her world dance class, who performed Kpanlango, a joyous West African dance celebrating life and recognizing “peace within and among us.” The dance performance by students senior Madison Freeman, junior Jodie Jernigan and Kayla Muirhead, WC ’20, was dedicated to graduates as well as in memory and to the family of Brenau senior Keiara Ivory Lyons, who passed away unexpectedly in November.

Graduates were also greeted by Alumni Director Ashley Carter, WC ’09, BU ’12, and Alumni Association President Brooke Statham, WC ’00.

“As you prepare to embark on the next phase of your life, know that it’s not just you against the world,” Carter said. “You are now one of more than 28,000 Brenau alumni worldwide.”

Carter added that, as alumni, the 2020 graduates “represent the greatness of our university, and your past accomplishments, your future achievements, the way you live your life and the values that mold you reflect upon the educational values of Brenau.”

Brenau senior Amber Simmons, the 2020-21 Baxter-Bryan Scholarship recipient, commended graduates for their hard work in finishing their degrees during the uncertainty of COVID-19.

“Thank you for setting a great example of what can be done when you put in the time, effort and energy,” Simmons said. “The classes of 2020 are filled with people that I look up to and admire, with first-generation students, international students, Black, Indigenous and students of color, LGBTQ+ students and so much more. We certainly show a variety of talented individuals among us. I know Brenau and I pride ourselves on diversity and inclusion.

“You make up part of the whole, and your time here has been greatly appreciated. 2020 graduates, you have truly made your mark on my heart, and I can’t wait to see how you leave your mark on this world.”