In all, 374 new alumni–153 traditional undergraduates, 165 bachelor's degree completion and 56 master's degree–received degrees in morning and afternoon ceremonies in the Special Events Center. Richard Unruh, political science professor, received the Nickel Excellence in Teaching Award. Christel Balanay Tee Sy, B.A. graduate in chemistry, won the award for the highest grade-point average with a perfect 4.0. Vanessa Cathleen Ronk, B.A. graduate in English with a secondary teaching emphasis, was given the Harold H. Haak Award for Academic Achievement.
Reed's talk, "Done, But Never Finished," held special significance since Reed is taking his own advice: after a decade at FPU, he is moving to a similar position at John Brown University.
Reed called on students to be resilient, to absorb energy and rebound. "In other words, when life is hard you don't get bent out of shape for too long. You are able to bounce back and even get stronger," he said.
Graduates must recognize they are never finished in three areas:
Learning "Most of what I learned in college and seminary is still relevant and incredibly helpful, but if I rely solely on the content of my classes from 15 or 20 years ago, my effectiveness is going to decrease every year. But my professors, like your professors, taught me more than content. They taught me how to learn and keep on learning."
Community "For as much as you've gotten tired of hearing the word 'community,' you've come to realize how important it is. You need people around you to encourage you and support you as you try to figure out career and relationships and life. You need people who will ask how you're doing and wait around for the answer, no matter how long it takes."
Spiritual (personal) formation "The benefit of being at FPU is there are people around you challenging you to grow in all areas of your life. When you leave here it is very easy to get caught up in all the tangible demands of life. In the midst of all of those responsibilities knocking on your door every day, it is easy to neglect the important work of personal, spiritual, character formation."