Class of 2025 set for conferral of bachelor’s degrees
The Class of 2025 will be celebrated during Hanover College’s 192nd Commencement. The ceremony will be begin at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 24, at The Point.
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Bachelor’s degrees will be conferred to 223 members of the senior class. The cohort includes 107 students who will graduate with honors, highlighted by 31 students who have achieved high honors (magna cum laude) and 29 who have completed their degrees with highest honors (summa cum laude).
The commencement ceremony will also include recognition of six retiring faculty members. Lynn Nichols Hall ’82 (athletics/health and movement), Jeffrey Phillips (engineering), J. Michael Raley (history), Bryant Stamford (kinesiology and integrative physiology), Bill Tereshko (kinesiology and integrative physiology) and Hey Van Iten (geology) have combined for more than 145 years of service to the College community.
Katherine Bettner ’25 will serve as the class speaker. A native of Noblesville, Ind., Bettner is double major in business and psychology. She is a member of Phi Mu sorority and the College’s soccer team. She has also been involved on campus with Student Athlete Advisory Council, Panhellenic Council, Green Panthers, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Dance Marathon.
Raj Sharma ’25, Lexi Traylor ’25, Annalise Bassett ’25 and Ethan Geraci ’25 will be recognized as Hanover’s top senior award recipients. Traylor received the College’s John Finley Crowe Citation for Scholarship and General Excellence. Sharma earned the Henry C. Long Citation for Scholarship and General Excellence. Bassett and Geraci were each presented with the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award.
Hanover President Lake Lambert will confer diplomas to each graduating student. Carey Adams, provost and vice president and dean of academic affairs, will present each candidate during the conferral.
The commencement activities will include live choral performances by the Hanover College Choir and instrumentals by the Hanover College Instrumental Ensemble.
The choir, directed by Madlen Batchvarova, professor of music, includes members of the campus and local communities. Featured selections include works by Chester Alwes ’69, Rene Clausen, Peter Lutkin, Stephen Schwartz, Katharine Parker and Meredith Willson.
The instrumentals, which include the processional and recessional, will feature works by Johannes Brahms and Edward Elgar. The ensemble, directed by Jonathan Stanley, assistant professor of music, will also accompany the choir, graduates and guests during the traditional singing of “Alma Mater.”
Jeff Studds ‘77, president of the Alumni Leadership Council, will welcome the graduating seniors into the Hanover College Alumni Association.
Rev. Catherine Y.E. Knott, Ph.D., Ball Family Chaplain, will perform the benediction and invocation.
Marshals for commencement activities include Tereshko and faculty members Ann Kirkland, professor of French, and Dan Murphy ‘77, professor of history.
Baccalaureate Service
Graduation activities will begin at 6 p.m., Friday, May 23, with the College’s traditional baccalaureate service in Fitzgibbon Recital Hall, Lynn Center for Fine Arts. A reception will follow in the Duggan Library.
Rev. Dr. Felipe Martinez, pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Ind., and member of Hanover’s Board of Trustees, will deliver the sermon. Vocal selections will be performed by the Hanover College Choir, joined by members of the campus community.
Parking Information
Free parking will be available at 14 lots located throughout campus. Shuttle service will be available for individuals with disabilities or other special needs. No traffic will be permitted near The Point before and during the ceremony.
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Inclement Weather Information
In the event of inclement weather, the graduation ceremony will take place in Collier Arena. Tickets are required for entry if the event is held indoors. The tickets, in limited supply, are free and available through all graduating seniors.
