Fiftieth Commencement ST. THOMAS Saturday, the Seventeenth of May Two Thousand and Fourteen Seven O’Clock in the Evening Sports and Fitness Center St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands ST. CROIX Sunday, the Eighteenth of May Two Thousand and Fourteen Half after Two O’Clock in the Afternoon Campus Grounds St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands President’s Message Commencement is the most important and sacred event in the life of a University. It symbolizes that we have collectively achieved our mission of producing excellent students who can go out and serve the world. Each year we gather to celebrate our academic accomplishments and to thank those who have made it possible for our students to reach this milestone. The parents, siblings, spouses, children, loved ones and friends of our graduates spiritually walk across the stage with our graduates because they played such a critical role in their success. Therefore, we celebrate them as well as we applaud our students. As part of this year’s Commencement exercises, we are also awarding three honorary degrees to individuals who repre­ sent achievement at the highest level of their professions. First, the Honorable Ron de Lugo, who has devoted his pro­ fessional life to improving the quality of the social, economic and political development of the U.S. Virgin Islands and in recognition of his 40 years of public service and stellar ac­ complishments as the first elected Congressional Delegate from the Territory. Also recognized and honored at this year’s Commencement Ceremonies will be Horace Clarke for his professional career and athletic accomplishments to the sport of baseball, and mentorship and contributions to the youth of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Finally, we are indeed privileged and honored to have Harvard University Profes­ sor Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a literary historian, activist and filmmaker, who is regarded as one of the most powerful academic voices in America. He is also widely recognized for having conducted extensive research of African American history and literature. It is with heartfelt joy and a great sense of pride that I salute you, members of the University of the Virgin Islands’ Class of 2014. We are blessed at UVI to have very special students who succeed despite the odds. Even when the forces in their lives have worked against them, they have still managed to be here today and we celebrate that tenacity. They are very dedicated, respectful and creative. It has been a joy for me to work closely with so many members of the class of 2014. We are also blessed to have dedicated faculty who see our students as individuals and work hard, despite the odds, to inspire each student to reach his or her full potential. I celebrate their critical contribution to this sacred moment. Our students are also successful because of various staff and administrators who contribute to their education and development in direct and indirect ways and we celebrate them as well. This is the 50th Commencement of the University and we should pause to reflect on how far this insti­ tution has come and the countless individuals who have been blessed to attend and graduate from UVI. In these fifty years, this special educational institution, through its graduates, has made an enormous contribution to the Virgin Islands, the Caribbean and the world. We look forward to building on that outstanding foundation for the next fifty years and beyond. I am deeply honored to be celebrating this auspicious and momentous occasion with the Class of 2014, your family members and friends. Please remember that you will always be Ambassadors for the University of the Virgin Islands. On behalf of the UVI Board, faculty and staff, I salute you on your accomplishments and wish you Godspeed. David Hall, S.J.D. David Hall, S.J.D., President Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Ph.D. - Literary Scholar, Filmmaker, Journalist, Historian Keynote Speaker - Honorary Doctorate Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. Literary scholar, filmmaker, journalist, cultural critic and institution builder, Professor Gates has created 13 documentary films and authored 16 books and scores of articles, including for such leading publications as The New Yorker, The New York Times and Time. Currently, he serves as editor-in-chief of TheRoot.com, a daily online magazine, while overseeing the Oxford African American Studies Center, the first comprehensive scholarly online resource in the field. Professor Gates’ most recent film is the award-winning six-part PBS documentary series, “The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” (2013), which he wrote, executive produced and hosted. He is cur­ rently shooting the next season of “Finding Your Roots,” airing on PBS in fall 2014. The Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Reader, a collection of his writings, was published in 2012. The recipient of 52 honorary degrees and numerous prizes, in 1998 he became the first African American scholar to be awarded the National Humanities Medal presented by President Bill Clinton. Professor Gates earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in English Literature from Clare College at the University of Cambridge. He received a B.A. in English Language and Literature, summa cum laude, from Yale University in 1973. Before joining the faculty of Harvard in 1991, he taught at Yale, Cornell and Duke Universities. Professor Gates has been awarded the 1981 MacArthur Foundation “Genius Award,” the 1993 George Polk Award for Social Commentary, and the 2008 Ralph Lowell Award – the Corpora­ tion for Public Broadcasting’s highest award. He was named to Time’s 25 Most Influential Americans list in 1997, to Ebony’s Power 150 list in 2009, and to Ebony’s Power 100 list in 2010 and 2012. In 2002, Gates was selected to give the Jefferson Lecture, in recognition of his “distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities.” In 2006, he was inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution after tracing his lineage back to John Redman, a Free Negro who fought in the Revolutionary War. Professor Gates has directed The W.E.B. Institute for African and African American Research – now The Hutchins Center – since arriving at Harvard in 1991 and, during his first 15 years on campus, chaired the Department of Afro-American Studies as it expanded into the Department of African and African American Studies with a full-fledged doctoral program. He also is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and serves on a wide array of boards, including the New York Public Library, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Aspen Institute, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Whitney Museum of Ameri­ can Art, the Library of America, and the Brookings Institute. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. - Ph.D. UVI HISTORY The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) was chartered on March 16, 1962, as the College of the Virgin Islands (CVI) – a publicly funded, coeduca­ tional, liberal arts institution – by Act No. 862 of the Fourth Legislature of the U.S. Virgin Islands. According to that law, UVI’s cornerstone objective is to provide for “....the stimulation and utilization of the intellectual resources of the people of the Virgin Islands and the development of a center of higher learning whereby and wherefrom the benefits of culture and education may be extended throughout the Virgin Islands.” The first campus opened on St. Thomas in July 1963, on 175 acres donated by the federal govern­ ment. The first Board of Trustees took office in August 1963. In 1964, the college founded a campus on St. Croix, on 130 acres also donated by the fed­ eral government. At a ceremony on March 24, 2011, the St. Croix campus was named in honor of the late Albert A. Sheen, Sr. Also in March of 2011, UVI opened the St. John Academic Center in Cruz Bay, with interactive classrooms and computer facilities. CVI began by offering only associate of arts degrees. UVI now offers numerous associate and baccalaureate degrees, including an associate degree in process technology. UVI also offers six master’s degree programs, an education specialist’s degree program, and certificate workforce training courses through the UVI Community Engagement and Life­ long Learning Center. In 1972, the College of the Virgin Islands was awarded Land-Grant status by the U.S. Congress. This allowed for the establishment of an Agricultural Experiment Station and a Cooperative Extension Ser­ vice. Since then, many other programs and services have been added. These include the Reichhold Center for the Arts, the Eastern Caribbean Center, the Wil­ liam P. MacLean Marine Science Center and the UVI Sports & Fitness Center, among others. In 1986, the College of the Virgin Islands was renamed the University of the Virgin Islands, reflect­ ing the growth and diversification of its academic curricula, community and regional services, and research programs. That same year, the U.S. Con­ gress named UVI one of America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). It is the only HBCU outside the continental U.S., and the first to offer an undergraduate degree in marine biology. Dr. David Hall began his tenure as president of the University of the Virgin Islands on August 1, 2009. He succeeded Dr. LaVerne E. Ragster, who was named president in 2002. Dr. Orville Kean was named president in 1990, succeeding Dr. Arthur A. Richards, who became president in 1980. Lawrence C. Wanlass served as the first president of the Col­ lege of the Virgin Islands from 1963 until 1980. Today, UVI enrolls approximately 2,500 full- time and part-time students on its two campuses. It continues to offer a high-quality, affordable, liberal arts education in a culturally diverse environment. The University boasts more than 10,000 alumni who have gone on to excel as doctors, lawyers, judges, univer­ sity and government administrators, teachers and other professionals. Among the many accomplished alumni are two Rhodes Scholars, the winner of a Pulit­ zer Prize for Journalism and the Premier of Nevis. UVI holds active membership in many higher education associations, including the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and is accred­ ited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association. The University is also an active member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the American Associa­ tion of University Women, the American Council on Education, the Association of Caribbean Information Systems and the Association of Caribbean Universi­ ties and Research Institutes. Cooperative agreements between the Univer­ sity of the Virgin Islands and many other leading universities allow UVI students to receive degrees not offered on the UVI campuses. The Boston University School of Medicine cooperative agreement allows qualified UVI students to be accepted provisionally into the medical school at the end of their sophomore year. These students spend two summers and their senior year at Boston University, graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the Virgin Islands, and then proceed to complete medical school at Boston University. UVI has established relationships with the University of St. Martin, H. Lavity Stoutt Community College in Tortola, Clarence Fitzroy Bryant State College in St. Kitts and Dominica State College, as well as other colleges in the Caribbean. Additionally, there are transfer programs in pre-engineering, pre- pharmacy and pre-medical technology for students who wish to begin their studies in these fields at the University of the Virgin Islands before transferring to a specialized institution to complete their degrees. The National Student Exchange (NSE) program operates on UVI’s campuses on St. Thomas and St. Croix. Each semester approximately 25 students from the U.S. mainland enroll through NSE. In addi­ tion, UVI continues to admit students via memoranda of understanding with the State University of New York at New Paltz, the College of Charleston, Emory University, Savannah State University (social work completion), Columbia University and Washington University in St. Louis (engineering), UNINTER (Uni­ versidad Internacional de Cuernavaca, Mexico) and the UNICA Caribbean Exchange Program. The University of the Virgin Islands is increas­ ingly being recognized as a leading American institu­ tion of higher learning in the Caribbean. The Mace Honors Summa Cum Laude Summa Cum Laude – “With Highest Praise” – an honor added to a diploma or degree for work that is considered to be of the highest quality. Grade Point Average – 3.75 - 4.0 Magna Cum Laude Magna Cum Laude – “With Great Praise” – an honor added to a diploma or degree for work considered to be of much higher quality than average. Grade Point Average – 3.50 - 3.74 Cum Laude Cum Laude – “With Praise” – an honor added to a diploma or degree for work that is above average. Grade Point Average – 3.25 - 3.49 The wearing of caps, gowns and hoods at grad­ uation exercises is one of the oldest and most democratic of collegiate customs. It originated in the Middle Ages when the first universities were founded as clerical institutions. Besides distinguishing the wearers from laymen, the costume served a very practical purpose in the unheated churches and cloisters of the time. It often added grace to the individuals and impressiveness to the ceremonies in which they took part. Its chief virtue, however, was that it eliminated undemocratic differences in dress which might otherwise have marred an essentially democratic occasion. Under the intercollegiate system adopted in 1893, the Oxford cap or “mortarboard” is worn for all degrees, but the doctor is entitled to a gold tassel and optional velvet cap. The sleeve of the master’s gown is distinguished from the bachelor’s by a half-moon cut at the end. The doctor’s gown has faced-down fronts, and round bell sleeves with bars of velvet. The mas­ ter’s degree hood is longer than the bachelor’s and the doctor’s is longer than the master’s. All hoods are lined with silk showing the official colors of the institution that conferred the degree. The bachelor’s and master’s degree candidates at the University of the Virgin Islands wear hoods lined with Caribbean blue and white, the school colors. The bachelor’s degree hoods are trimmed with white velvet to signify liberal arts, and with golden yellow velvet to signify science. UVI master’s candidate hoods are also trimmed with velvet – light blue for education, drab to represent business, and peacock blue to indicate public administration. According to the Academic Costume Code, at most U.S. institutions the color of velvet trim indicates the following academic disciplines: agriculture/maize; economics/copper; engineer­ ing/orange; fine arts/brown; home economics/ maroon; law/purple; library science/lemon; music/pink; nursing/apricot; philosophy/dark blue; physical education/sage green; public health/salmon pink; science/golden yellow; so­ cial science/cream; social work/citron; speech/ silver gray. ACADEMIC INFORMATION The mace of the University of the Virgin Islands is the symbol both of presidential responsibilities and authority. Carved on the island of St. Croix from the wood of a local mahogany tree, one of God’s most enduring symbols of life, the mace says that the respon­ sibilities of the President are without end. It also says that the President cannot discharge those responsibilities without authority. The mace is a three-foot long mahogany cylin­ der 1.5 inches in diameter topped by a four- inch mahogany ball into which a sterling silver reproduction of the University logo is set. The sterling silver logo was crafted on the island of St. Thomas. Regalia PROGRAM - St. Thomas Campus Maxine A. Nunez, DPH, Professor of Nursing COMMENCEMENT MARSHAL *PROCESSIONAL ..........................................................................................................“Pomp and Circumstance” (Elgar) University of the Virgin Islands Concert Band, LeRoy V. Trotman, Ph.D. *INVOCATION ............................................................................................................... Marisha Jno-Lewis, Class of 2014 *NATIONAL ANTHEM .......................................................................................................... “Star Spangled Banner” (Key) University of the Virgin Islands Concert Band *VIRGIN ISLANDS MARCH ..............................................................................................“Virgin Islands March” (Adams) University of the Virgin Islands Concert Band MUSICAL SELECTION ............................................................................................................ “We Are One” (Greg Gilpin) University Concert Choir, Luba Dolgopolsky, M.A. WELCOME.............................................................................................................................. David Hall, S.J.D., President KEYNOTE ADDRESS.............................................................................................................. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Ph.D. Literary Scholar, Filmmaker, Journalist, Historian AWARDING OF HONORARY DEGREES ........................................................................................................ President Hall MUSICAL SELECTION ...................................................................................................................... “Cable Car” (Nestico) University of the Virgin Islands Concert Band ADDRESS ..................................................................................................................... Natalie Richardson, Class of 2014 REMARKS ..................................................................................................................................... Alexander A. Moorhead Chairman, UVI Board of Trustees The Honorable Shawn-Michael Malone President of the 30th Legislature of the Virgin Islands The Honorable Donna M. Christensen Virgin Islands Delegate to Congress The Honorable John P. deJongh, Jr. Governor, United States Virgin Islands MUSICAL SELECTION ................................................................................................................ “Montego Bay” (Nestico) University of the Virgin Islands Concert Band PRESENTATION OF CANDIDATES.....................................................................Camille A. McKayle, Ph.D., Interim Provost CONFERRING OF DEGREES Master of Arts in Education • Master of Business Administration • Master of Public Administration Master of Arts in Psychology • Master of Marine and Environmental Sciences Bachelor of Arts • Bachelor of Science Associate of Arts • Associate of Applied Science • Associate of Science INDUCTION INTO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ............................................................................................. Dionne V. Jackson Vice President for Institutional Advancement *ALMA MATER.............................................................................................................“Alma Mater by the Sea” (LaMotta) University of the Virgin Islands Concert Band and Choir *BENEDICTION ..................................................................................................................... Aquila Dorsey, Class of 2014 *RECESSIONAL................................................................................................................“Ceremonial Procession” (Elgar) University of the Virgin Islands Concert Band *Audience is requested to stand. Every effort is made to ensure that this program is accurate; circumstances beyond our control may have resulted in unintentional errors. Please note printed programs did not include official listings of graduates. For official verification of graduates please contact the University’s Registrar Office. We apologize for any inconvenience. St. Thomas: (340) 693-1160 • St. Croix: (340) 692-4103 • PROGRAM - Albert A. Sheen Campus - St. Croix Conrad Spencer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mathematics COMMENCEMENT MARSHAL Paul Flemming, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Management COMMENCEMENT CO-MARSHAL PRELUDE ...................................................................................................... The Albert A. Sheen Campus Steel Ensemble *PROCESSIONAL .......................................................................................................... “Pomp and Circumstance” (Elgar) University of the Virgin Islands Concert Band, Valrica Bryson *INVOCATION ................................................................................................................... Rhea M. Jenkins, Class of 2014 *NATIONAL ANTHEM .......................................................................................................... “Star Spangled Banner” (Key) University of the Virgin Islands Concert Band *VIRGIN ISLANDS MARCH .............................................................................................. “Virgin Islands March” (Adams) University of the Virgin Islands Concert Band WELCOME............................................................................................................................... David Hall, S.J.D., President KEYNOTE ADDRESS.............................................................................................................. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Ph.D. Literary Scholar, Filmmaker, Journalist, Historian AWARDING OF HONORARY DEGREES ......................................................................................................... President Hall MUSICAL SELECTION ...........................................UVI Voices of Inspiration Community Choir, Josephine Thomas-Lewis ADDRESS ..................................................................................................................... Allison L. De Gazon, Class of 2014 REMARKS ..................................................................................................................................... Alexander A. Moorhead Chairman, UVI Board of Trustees The Honorable Shawn-Michael Malone President of the 30th Legislature of the Virgin Islands The Honorable Donna M. Christensen Virgin Islands Delegate to Congress The Honorable John P. deJongh, Jr. Governor, United States Virgin Islands MUSICAL SELECTION ..................................................................................University of the Virgin Islands Concert Band PRESENTATION OF CANDIDATES..................................................................... Camille A. McKayle, Ph.D., Interim Provost CONFERRING OF DEGREES Master of Arts in Education • Master of Business Administration Master of Arts in Psychology • Master of Public Administration • Bachelor of Arts • Bachelor of Science Associate of Arts • Associate of Applied Science • Associate of Science INDUCTION INTO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION.............................................................................................. Dionne V. Jackson Vice President for Institutional Advancement COMMISSIONING CEREMONY...........................................................................................Major William Velazquez-Rivera Senior Military Science Instructor MUSICAL SELECTION .................................................................................. The Albert A. Sheen Campus Steel Ensemble *ALMA MATER............................................................................................................. “Alma Mater by the Sea” (LaMotta) UVI Voices of Inspiration Community Choir *BENEDICTION .................................................................................................................. Trichelle A. Ekpe, Class of 2014 *RECESSIONAL................................................................................................................ “Ceremonial Procession” (Elgar) University of the Virgin Islands Concert Band *Audience is requested to stand. Every effort is made to ensure that this program is accurate; circumstances beyond our control may have resulted in unintentional errors. Ron de Lugo was only 26 years old in November, 1956, when he won his first election to the U.S. Vir­ gin Islands Legislature. Like all his elections to local and federal offices throughout his career, this was for an at-large seat from the District of St. Thomas. For the next 38 years, until his retirement from the U.S. Congress in 1994, de Lugo played a pivotal role in the social, economic and political develop­ ment of his Virgin Islands community. He worked tirelessly to expand the rights of all who live in these islands and, as his influence grew in the United States Congress, he was able to advance the interests of fellow Americans in all the insular areas and offshore commonwealths of the United States. From 1948-1950 he served in the U.S. Army and was program director and announcer for the Armed Forces Radio Service in Puerto Rico. After discharge he helped launch St. Thomas ra­ dio station WSTA. In 1952, he sparked the revival of Carnival, one of the Virgin Islands’ greatest cultural phenomena. He was elected to four terms in the Legislature of the U.S. Virgin Islands, from 1956-1960 and from 1962-1966, inter­ spersed by an appointment as St. Croix Administrator from 1961-1962. He was a member of the Democratic National Committee from 1959-1966. A growing network of national political alliances led to Congress giving the people of the Virgin Islands the right to elect their own governor in 1968 for the first time in history. In 1968, de Lugo was elected to the first of two terms as Washington Representative. In November of 1972, de Lugo was elected the first Congressional Delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands and served ten terms, achieving sufficient seniority by 1989 to become Chairman of the Inte­ rior Subcommittee on Insular and International Affairs. Congressman de Lugo had many accomplishments including securing federal pensions for former VICORP employees, inclusion of the Virgin Islands in the federal Airport Development Aid Program that ensured sufficient funding to complete expansion of Cyril E. King Airport, major improvements to Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, expansion of Crown Bay Dock and reconstruction of the Frederiksted Pier. He was instrumental in securing state-like treatment for the Virgin Islands under the Federal Highway System, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal agencies. He also sought protection of the Territory’s unique status outside the U.S. Customs Zone. This included duty-free allowances for visitors, exemption from Jones Act shipping restrictions, mirror tax investment incen­ tives and the rum excise taxes. His other accomplishments included passing legislation formally designating the University of the Virgin Islands as one of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. His Alien Adjustment Act of 1982 brought resolution to the long-standing, divisive issues caused by the uncertain status of temporary workers by making them and their families eligible for U.S. citizenship. He legislated the title transfers of Water Island to the Virgin Islands, the National Park on Hassel Island, and the creation of a National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve at the Columbus Landing Site at Salt River. His bills also brought to the people of the Virgin Islands a Supreme Court appellate system and jurisdiction over its surrounding submerged lands. In his last term, a long-held goal was realized when the then Speaker of the House Thomas C. Foley agreed to give congressional delegates from the territories and the District of Columbia the right to vote in the Committee of the Whole in the House during the 103rd Congress. He retired from public office in 1994. In 2003, the Federal Building in St. Thomas was named in his honor. He lives on St. Thomas with his wife, Sheila Paiewonsky de Lugo. Between them they have four children, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. De Lugo remains a friend and counselor to the people of all insular areas, and above all, to his Virgin Islands community to which he dedicated his career in public service. The Honorable Ron de Lugo Honorary Doctorate The Honorable Ron de Lugo Born and raised in Frederiksted, St. Croix, Horace Clarke played baseball around the school yards and playgrounds at every possible opportunity. At the age of 14 he joined the Braves Baseball Club that entered the local amateur league. In the following years, Clarke was often named to all star teams that represented St. Croix against St. Thomas and Puerto Rico. During one of these championship series he was scouted by Jose Seda of the New York Yankees organization. On completion of high school in 1958, Clarke began his profes­ sional career at Kearney, Nebraska, in the Nebraska State League. Over the next five years Clarke played in the minors, and in the Puerto Rico Winter Baseball League, improving his skills and gaining valuable experience. In 1965, he was promoted to the major leagues and played a utility role over the next two seasons. Bobby Richardson retired as the Yankees second baseman after the 1966 season giving Clarke the opportunity he had long awaited. From 1967 through 1973, Clarke was the Yankees regular second base­ man. In 1974 he split the season with the Yankees and the San Diego Padres of the National League before retiring. Clarke compiled the best fielding percentage for second basemen in 1967, ranks eighth in fielding percentage among inactive second basemen and led second basemen in assists six consecutive years. Clarke’s first two home runs in the big leagues were grand slams. He led the Yankees in stolen bases on several occasions, with his strongest offensive season occurring in 1969. He hit a career high .285 batting average, with an on-base percentage of .340 and 33 stolen bases. On April 19, 1970, Clarke enjoyed a five-hit day in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium. In the span of a month in 1970, he broke up three possible no-hitters in the ninth inning (Jim Roker on June 4, Sonny Seibert on June 19, and Joe Niekro on July 2). Clarke and Joe Mauer are the only hitters in Major League Baseball to ever break up three no-hitter bids in the ninth inning. That season, Clarke made 732 plate appearances (batting 686 times officially). As a fielder, though, the knock on Clarke was that he would not turn the double play with runners barreling in. Few ever took him out with a slide, but Clarke would hold the ball after leaping. In his ten-year career, Clarke hit a career .256 average, with 27 home runs, 304 RBI’s and 151 stolen bases. After his professional playing career was over, Clarke returned to his St. Croix home to serve as a Baseball Specialist developing young players – along with Elmo Plaskett, another former major leaguer from St. Croix – for the Virgin Islands Government. Clarke was also an assistant scout for the Kansas City Royals. He served in the capacity of Baseball Specialist for 20 years. Two of his star pupils who went on to play in the major leagues were Jerry Brown, from 1986 through 1995, and Midre Cum­ mings from 1993-2001 and 2004-2005. In the television show “The Job,” Horace Clarke is referred to occasionally. In the book “The Wednes­ day Wars,” the protagonist Holling practices with Clarke through an arrangement by Mrs. Baker. Hol­ ling also calls him “one of the best baseball players to wear pinstripes since Babe Ruth.” He was one of the most well-known faces of the Yankees’ teams from 1967 to 1973, a period in Yankees history that is commonly referred to as “The Horace Clarke Era.” Clarke is a member of an elite group of baseball players from the Virgin Islands who played professional Major League Baseball. He is known as a selfless baseball star who, even in retirement, continued to contribute to the sport by giving back to young Virgin Islands players – coaching them into becoming stars themselves. Mr. Horace Clarke - Professional Athlete, Youth Mentor Honorary Doctorate Horace Clarke Commencement Committee Dr. Camille McKayle Interim Provost Shirley Lake-King Vice President for Administration and Finance/CFO Dionne V. Jackson Vice President for Institutional Advancement Dr. Frank Mills Interim Vice Provost for Research and Public Service Dr. Nicole L. Gibbs Vice Provost for Access and Enrollment Services Tina M. Koopmans Chief Information Officer Dr. Haldane Davies Special Assistant to the President President’s Cabinet Denis Griffith - Chair Francisca Barry Kevin Dixon - Student Una C. Dyer Laurel Hecker Anyha Lord-Jerris Jacqueline Romer - Student Diana Shepp Linda I. Smith Riise Thurland Patricia Towal Nereida Washington John Waugh St. Croix UVI Schools & Colleges School of Business Aubrey D. Washington, CPA Interim Dean School of Education Linda V. Thomas, Ph.D. Dean College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Simon B. Jones-Hendrickson, Ph.D. Dean School of Nursing Cheryl P. Franklin, D.N.S. Dean College of Science and Mathematics Sandra L. Romano, Ph.D. Interim Dean St. Thomas Gail T. Steele - Co-Chair Lorna C. Young-Wright - Co-Chair Diana Claxton O’Kiema M. Dedier - Student Una C. Dyer Peggy Fahie Theodore Glasford Liza Margolis Charles A. Martin, Sr. Gary Metz Dahlia Stridiron Mervin V. Taylor Tracie Wells-Clarke Barbara B. Williams-Brown Alfred O. Heath, M.D. Roy D. Jackson, Sr., CPA Howard L. Jones, Ph.D. Bernard H. Paiewonsky, Ph.D. Auguste E. Rimpel, Jr., Ph.D. – Board Chair Emeritus Sylvia Ross Talbot, Ed.D. Ruth E. Thomas, M.A., Ed.S. Patrick N. Williams, M.A. (deceased) Trustees Emeriti Dr. David Hall – ex-officio Board Secretary President of the University St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Ms. Donna Frett-Gregory – ex-officio Commissioner Department of Education St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Mr. Oswin Sewer, Sr. – ex-officio Chair – V.I. Board of Education St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Mr. Joshua Edwards Student Representative 2013-2014 St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Mrs. Carol Fulp Boston, Massachusetts Mrs. Jennifer Nugent-Hill St. Croix, Virgin Islands Hon. Patricia D. Steele St. Croix, Virgin Islands Mrs. Gwendolyn Adams Norton New York, New York Mrs. Luz Suarez de Highfield St. Croix, Virgin Islands Ms. Jacqueline A. Sprauve Alumni Representative St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Mr. Edward E. Thomas St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Dr. Yvonne E. L. Thraen St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Dr. Teresa Turner Faculty Representative 2013-2014 St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Mr. Sinclair L. Wilkinson St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Rev. Dr. Wesley S. Williams, Jr. St. Thomas, Virgin Islands University of the Virgin Islands Board of Trustees The Honorable John P. deJongh, Jr. Honorary Chair Governor of the Virgin Islands Mr. Alexander A. Moorhead Chair St. Croix, Virgin Islands Attorney Henry C. Smock Vice Chair St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Presidents Emeriti Lawrence C. Wanlass, Ph.D. Arthur A. Richards, Ph.D. (deceased) Orville E. Kean, Ph.D. LaVerne E. Ragster, Ph.D. Hail to thee, dear Alma Mater Beside the blue Caribbean calm Hail to thee, dear Alma Mater ‘neath sunny skies and whisp’ring palm Proud we are to tread thy ways Loud and true we voice our praise Open door thy every portal ‘mid sand and sea and golden days Long the ties that will endure Strong in heart and memory Faithfully we’ll always honor Our Alma Mater by the sea Hail to thee, dear Alma Mater For guiding stars so brightly shown Hail to thee, dear Alma Mater How wide the bound’ries we have flown Sing we now of bright tomorrows Yesterday we never knew Walking down thy halls of wisdom The towerin’ heights are all in view Here to us on islands famed Dear to us thy name will be University of the Virgin Islands Our Alma Mater by the sea. Alma Mater By the Sea Words and Music by Wilbur “Bill” LaMotta