Coker College Celebrates 2014 Winter Commencement
December 15, 2014
HARTSVILLE, SC – Coker College conferred bachelor’s degrees on 64 graduates during its 2014 winter commencement ceremony, held in the new Harris E. and Louise H. DeLoach Center gymnasium. In addition, six individuals received their master’s degrees in college athletic administration.
“Tonight’s graduates all have unique stories and paths that have led them to this moment,” said Tracy Parkinson, provost and dean of the faculty. “However, in every case, whether a bachelor’s or a master’s graduate, each one has achieved something that will better him or herself, his or her family, and his or her community. That is what makes our work at Coker College so very rewarding.”
Rainey Knight delivered the commencement address and was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Knight, former superintendent of the Darlington County School District, currently serves as an educational consultant for school districts across the state and state agencies throughout the southeast.
Knight has served on numerous community and professional boards, including the Pee Dee Education Center Board of Trustees, the Darlington County Economic Partnership Board, the Darlington County Education Foundation, the TEACH Foundation, and the Coker College Board of Trustees.
Among other awards and recognitions, Knight was named the South Carolina Superintendent of the Year in 2012. In 2014, the Darlington County School District presented Knight with the Jimmy Newsome Signature Award for Excellence in Education.
Knight received her bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from Francis Marion College in 1977 and her master’s degree in biology from the University of South Carolina in 1980. In 1991, she earned her doctorate in philosophy from the University of South Carolina.
Veronica Matthews, a student in the college’s Adult Degree Program, presented the Distinguished Adjunct Professor of the Year award to Darryl Kelly, a special lecturer at Coker since 2013.
Kelly is a special lecturer in business administration who teaches in the Adult Degree Program. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Coker College in 1995, his master’s degree in public administration from Troy State University in 1998, and his doctor of philosophy in human services from Capella University in 2010.
For more information on Coker College, visit www.coker.edu.
Coker College readies undergraduates for personal and professional success through a distinctive four-year program that emphasizes a practical application of the liberal arts as well as hands-on and discussion-based learning within and beyond the classroom. Coker is ranked among the “Best Colleges” in the South by U.S. News & World Report as well as The Princeton Review. Located in Hartsville, S.C., Coker is within two hours of the cultural, financial and recreational resources of Charlotte, Columbia, Charleston and Myrtle Beach.
