UD Announces 2017 Commencement Ceremonies
May 5, 2017
DUBUQUE, Iowa – The University of Dubuque will celebrate the accomplishments of its undergraduate, graduate, and seminary students at its 165th Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 13.
University Commencement Events
The University Baccalaureate Service will be held Friday, May 12, at 5:00 p.m. in Heritage Center’s John and Alice Butler Hall. The service allows UD faculty and staff to say farewell to graduating seniors, to celebrate their accomplishments, to give thanks for those who have supported them in reaching this milestone, and to commission graduates for service to church and world.
The University Commencement Ceremony will be held Saturday, May 13, at 1:00 p.m. in Chlapaty Recreation and Wellness Center on campus. Degrees will be conferred upon 291 undergraduate and 107 graduate students. Dr. Christopher James, MDiv, PhD, assistant professor of Evangelism and Missional Christianity at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary (UDTS), will deliver the commencement address, titled “The Question.” James, who also directs the master of arts in mission and discipleship degree at UDTS, earned his BA from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois; his MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California; and his PhD from Boston University School of Theology in Boston. He has served churches in Seattle and California.
UD will also award the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters to John and Alice Butler in recognition of their leadership as members of the community and broad work as philanthropists and supporters of many organizations. John Butler, executive chairman of Cottingham & Butler, Inc., attended Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Alice Butler received her formal education from Wellesley College in Wellesley. The Butlers have made numerous investments in the University through their support of endowed scholarships, new buildings, and, more recently, John and Alice Butler Hall.
Seminary Commencement Events
The University of Dubuque Theological Seminary Baccalaureate Service will be held Friday, May 12, at 1:30 p.m. in Blades Chapel. Rev. Dr. Susan LeFeber, director of Seminary vocation and director of field education and placement at UDTS, will deliver the sermon, titled “The Work of God.”
The UDTS Commencement Ceremony will be held Saturday, May 13, at 9:30 a.m. in Heritage Center’s John and Alice Butler Hall. The Seminary will confer degrees on 28 students and certificates on three students – five master of arts in Christian leadership, one master of arts in mission and discipleship, 18 master of divinity, four doctor of ministry, and three certificates in Christian leadership for commissioned ruling elders. Dr. Lyle D. Vander Broek, professor emeritus of New Testament at UDTS, will deliver the commencement address, titled “Equipped for Every Good Work.” Vander Broek retired in January 2017, having served UDTS since 1983. An Iowa native, Vander Broek earned his BA from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa; his MDiv from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan; and his MPhil and PhD from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey.
The Seminary will also award the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters to R. Gerald Fox, the former chairman, president, and CEO of F.I.A. Financial Publishing, in recognition of his unwavering leadership and service to the University of Dubuque and its Theological Seminary. For over 30 years, he has served the University of Dubuque as a member and chairperson of the Seminary Council of Advisors, and, later, as a member and chairperson of the University’s Board of Trustees, where he currently serves. Fox attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
