No less than sixteen short days from today, well over 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students will walk the synthetic turf of Biemesderfer Stadium toward graduation, renovated yellow bleachers filled with short anxious breaths, relieved eyes wide with success and pride.
For this exceedingly special occasion, Millersville University has scheduled some exceedingly significant members of society to speak and receive honors during the commencement.
Don Eberly, a nationally and internationally noted author, civic entrepreneur and advocate for civil society and private philanthropy will be giving the annual commencement speech; he will be speaking to the outgoing students about “serving in the spirit of Lincoln.”
“Few know or care more about civil society than Don Eberly,” E.J. Dionn, a Washington Post columnist, has said.
According to his own website (doneberly.com), his new book, “The Rise of Global Civil Society: Building Communities and Nations from the Bottom Up,” points out “a new global awareness of the people at ‘the bottom of the pyramid’… summoning forth an unprecedented response to human need and suffering.”
Eberly holds master degrees in fields of government from George Washington University and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and has done Doctoral studies at the School of Public Affairs at Penn State University.
MU will also welcome Gibson E. Armstrong, former Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for nearly 25 years and member for over 30 years of the Pennsylvania State Assembly.
Armstrong attended West Minster College in New Wilmington, Pa., and graduated in 1965 with a BBA in Economics.
Armstrong served as captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. from 1965 to 1969 and is a Vietnam War veteran. In 1977 he joined the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and served there through 1984.
One of his four children—Gibson C. Armstrong—represented Pennsylvania’s 100th legislative district from 2002 to 2006 (the same district his father represented from 1977 to 1984), at the same time his father was representing the 13th district of the State Senate.
This accomplished figure will be receiving an honory Doctorate of Humane Letters on the morning of May 2.
Since the late 15th century, when Lionel Woodville, who subsequently became the Bishop of Salisbury, was bestowed with the first honorary degree in recorded history from the University of Oxford, prominent and deserving figures such as Gibson have received these special honors.
Benjamin Franklin would receive an honorary doctorate in 1762 from Oxford for his scientific achievements.
In the case of MU, Gibson has contributed to both the particular community of Millersville as well as the larger society of the state of Pennsylvania.
“[Gibson] particularly assisted the University’s global opportunity program (Shanghai program), town/gown program, academic facility improvements, internships programs,” said Jerry Eckert, vice president for university advancement.
Eckert is involved with the arranging for Gibson’s appearance and he has special knowledge of Gibson’s service to, for example, transportation improvements in the Lancaster Commonwealth.
“His commitment to the values of public higher education was important to a successful university direction,” Eckert continued.
The commencement ceremony will begin on Saturday, May 2 at 10:00 a.m. Gibson will be given a chance to respond upon receiving his honorary degree of Humane Letters.
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