University awards degrees at first Summer Commencement since 1949

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette conferred 162 degrees during its first summer Commencement ceremony since 1949 on Friday at the Cajundome Convention Center.

A summer exercise has been reintroduced to give graduating seniors an opportunity to participate in a ceremony without having to wait until the fall semester.

Bachelor’s degrees were awarded to 118 graduates and master’s degrees were awarded to 31 graduates at the ceremony. Thirteen graduates earned doctoral degrees.

“If we have done our jobs well, we have prepared you not just for that first job after college, but for a career. If we have done our jobs well, we have helped prepare you for life,” Dr. James Henderson, University provost and vice president for academic affairs told graduates. “Whether you're approaching your first big job or a big change, the choice you've made — to earn a degree — will serve you well.”

Henderson cited recent studies by Northeastern University and the American Association of Colleges and Universities that asked employers what qualities and skills they sought in potential employees. “They want what college graduates have: the ability to communicate, the capacity to think critically. They are looking for problem solvers and innovators. They want people who take responsibility, and who demonstrate ethical judgment and integrity.”

Madison Blanche, who earned a bachelors degree in history, became the first of five children in her family to earn a college degree. She’s weighing several career options, including teaching, earning an MBA and applying for law school. First, she hopes to find a job that lets her travel. “I’d love to do something that would let me see the world,” said Blanche, who’s from Baton Rouge.

Law school is definitely next for Jeremy Anderson of Lafayette, a 36-year-old father of two children, who earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies. He will begin taking law courses at Southern University this fall. “Going back to school to earn my (bachelor’s) degree was always part of the plan, but I had to wait until the timing was right,” he said.

Commencement speaker Charles E. Richard, an English professor and filmmaker, said learning should remain a lifelong process, even for graduates who don’t pursue further studies.

“School makes learning easy, because it gives it a structure, a step-by-step formula for making it happen,” he said. “If there’s any secret at all to lifelong learning, I think it’s this: recognize your teachers.”

Richard, who earlier this year received the Distinguished Professor Award presented by the UL Lafayette Foundation, encouraged graduates to avoid cultivating an “educated pride” that keeps them from recognizing teachers throughout their lives. “They come to us in unlikely disguises,” he said.

Richard used Edward Couvillier, a master boat builder, as an example. Now in his mid-80s, Couvillier is the central figure in a documentary film Richard is producing, “In the Mind of the Maker.”

Couvillier builds exquisitely-proportioned boats using no blueprints or plans, instead shaping them in his mind before he crafts them.

“Edward Couvillier is a remarkable man for many, many reasons, but one of them is that he’s among the last of the old-time craftsmen who still remember how to build traditional Louisiana boats—shapely, elegant boats that are more akin to art than carpentry,” Richard said.

“In the Mind of the Maker” explores “the science of creativity,” ways the brain can construct sophisticated three-dimensional mental images, according to the filmmaker. “With no more than an eighth-grade education, Mr. Edward Couvillier is teaching us about cognitive neuroscience.”

Retired history professor Dr. Judith Gentry, who served as grand marshal, was recognized at Commencement. She joined the UL Lafayette faculty in 1969, the same year she earned a doctoral degree at Rice University.

Gentry  taught a range of American history courses at all levels, including the first course on women’s history at the University, “long before there were any textbooks on that topic,” Henderson said. “Dr. Gentry has been a lifelong advocate for women at the University, and beyond the campus.”

See a list of Summer 2014 graduates.