Belhaven University Commencement Recognizes Shelby Smith

2012 May 11

Shelby Smith from Brandon, MS applied for April graduation and is pursuing a Bachelor of Health Administration from Belhaven University.

Friends and families gathered to celebrate the Graduating Class of 2011- 2012 at the Belhaven University Commencement on April 30. The graduation ceremony on took place at Christ United Methodist Church in Jackson, MS.

Because of the increase in graduating students and their families, two ceremonies honored the accomplishments of students from Belhaven's undergraduate, adult and graduate programs. The traditional student ceremony was at 9:30 A.M., then at 2:30 P.M. the adult and graduate students held their graduation activities.

Mr. Bob Doll was the commencement speaker for the morning graduation ceremony. Doll was awarded an honorary degree by Belhaven University President, Dr. Roger Parrott. Doll is the Chief Equity Strategist and Senior Portfolio Manager at BlackRock, the world's largest asset management firm. He is also the head of the U.S. Large Cap Series equity team and has primary portfolio management responsibilities for these products.

Doll received a B.S. in accounting and a B.A. in economics from Lehigh University and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Bob and his wife Leslie live in Princeton, New Jersey and have three children.

Judge James E. Graves, Jr. was the commencement speaker for the afternoon graduation ceremony. Judge Graves is a United States Circuit Judge in the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and was awarded an honorary degree before he addressed the graduates.

Judge Graves is the first black judge from Mississippi to serve on the Fifth Circuit and was appointed by President Barak Obama. Judge Graves returned to Mississippi and served as a circuit court judge for ten years before being appointed to the Supreme Court by then-Governor Ronnie Musgrove. He won election to the same position in 2004.

Judge Graves graduated from Millsaps College with a B.A. in sociology and went on to earn his law degree as well as a master's degree in public administration at Syracuse University. Judge Graves is married to Dr. Bettye Ramsey Graves and has three sons.

Belhaven stands among the select Christian colleges and universities that offer a unique general core curriculum encouraging the development of a personal worldview. The university believes a Christian worldview is a key to preparing men and women academically and spiritually to serve Christ Jesus in their careers, in human relationships, and in the world of ideas.

Founded in 1883, Belhaven University now serves over 3,000 students from campuses in Jackson, Memphis, Orlando, Houston, Chattanooga, Atlanta and online, offering traditional undergraduate degrees, graduate and adult degree programs, and online degree programs.