INVESTITURE 1900

YEAR THE UNIVERSITY’S SEAL, WHICH APPEARS ON THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDALLION, WAS

UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED BY THE FACULTY.

During his morning ceremony remarks, Mahony told the graduating seniors that life would present them with a lot of setbacks that lead to success. Mahony then admitted to having suffered through a few setbacks in his life.

“The point is we all have failures,” Mahony said. “In fact, many of the most successful people have had even more, probably because they have taken greater risks. What is important is how we deal with those failures and setbacks, which ultimately will determine whether we are successful.”

A college education will not prepare graduates to avoid failure, Mahony said. “If it is a good education, and I truly believe you have received one here, it prepares you to be able to handle those failures, and continue to move forward,” the president said.

Mahony congratulated those receiving degrees for persevering when things got tough, whether those challenges were academic, financial, personal or all of the above. “Receiving a college degree from Winthrop University is difficult and challenging, and you should all be proud of your accomplishment here today,” Mahony said. “This is a big moment, a really big moment and do not ever forget that.”

During the afternoon ceremony, Melody Tankersley ’84, ’86, the investiture speaker and a former col- league of Mahony’s at Kent State University, predicted Winthrop would flourish under Mahony’s leadership. She noted his strong sense of fairness, his commit-

Left, during the morning Commencement ceremony, then Board of Trustees Vice Chair and now Chair Karl Folkens ’78 and Provost Debra Boyd presented Mahony with a hood, lined in garnet and gold, at the morning ceremony as a symbol of his responsibilities as Winthrop president.

913

GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED DEGREES IN MAY.

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WINTHROP PRESIDENTS WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN A FORMAL

INSTALLATION CEREMONY. 3

FIRST GRADUATES OF WINTHROP’S THINK COLLEGE PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES.

ment to collaboration, his tremendous analytical ability and his capacity for strong and clear-sighted direction.

“He has big, bold ideas and he sees beyond boundaries or restrictions,” said Tankersley, a Winthrop special education alumna and senior associate provost and interim dean of graduate studies at Kent State. “When a roadblock appears, he looks for alternative paths and approaches for tackling difficult problems.”

Click on the photo below to view a slideshow of images from the Commencement and Investiture ceremony.

Watch the video "Commencement & Investiture 2016" to relive the special ceremony.

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