Hollins University will conduct its 173rd Commencement Exercise Sunday, May 24, at 10:00 a.m. on the university’s Front Quadrangle. Approximately 195 undergraduate and graduate students are scheduled to receive degrees.
This year’s guest speaker will be Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale, founding and senior pastor of Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, GA.
The Roanoke native graduated from Hollins in 1975 and went on to complete a Master of Divinity degree at Duke University and a Doctor of Ministry at Union Theological Seminary. Hale started Ray of Hope as a Bible study group in her apartment; today, the church has a congregation of more than 5,000 members and was cited in the book, Excellent Protestant Congregation: A Guide to Best Places and Practices.
Hale has received many honors and recognitions. In 2008, the Senator Barack Obama selected her to give the opening invocation at the Democratic National Convention. The following year, he appointed her to serve on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships, one of the nation’s most esteemed initiatives for leadership and public service. In 2012, Ebony magazine included her among its Power 100, a yearly compilation of the most influential African Americans in the country.
Hale is contributing writer for a number of books and publications and serves on the Hollins University Board of Trustees and the Board of Visitors at Duke Divinity School.
