Ohio Wesleyan University’s 2022 graduating seniors will reflect upon and celebrate their OWU experiences May 6 at baccalaureate and then receive their diplomas May 7 during the university’s 178th commencement ceremony.
Baccalaureate will begin at 7 p.m. May 6 in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. The annual event is planned by students with assistance from the university Chaplain’s Office. Baccalaureate typically features poetry and verse readings, personal reflections, and dance and music performances. Ohio Wesleyan’s Religious Life Awards also are presented during the annual celebration.
“Our class has experienced tumultuous change these past years, internationally, nationally, and locally here in the OWU community,” the Class of 2022 Baccalaureate Committee said in announcing the event. “This year we have chosen the theme, ‘Beyond the Bubble’ to highlight our transition from campus. As we prepare to leave the OWU bubble, baccalaureate offers us the space to reflect on the various bubbles of our communities that we have spent time in over the course of the last four years.”
Following baccalaureate, approximately 300 Ohio Wesleyan seniors will receive their diplomas the next day during commencement. The ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. May 7 on Merrick Lawn, located outside Merrick Hall, 65 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. In case of severe weather, the ceremony will move inside Gordon Field House, 105 S. Sandusky St., Delaware, and tickets will be required for seating.
Amy Acton, M.D., M.P.H., will present the keynote address, “The Leader We All Wish We Had is You!” Acton served as the senior health adviser to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and, before that, as the first woman director of the Ohio Department of Health. During commencement, she also will receive an Ohio Wesleyan Honorary Doctor of Science degree in recognition of her exemplary leadership and contributions to the betterment of the world.
In addition to Acton, graduating senior Olivia Anderson of Toledo, Ohio, also will share words of wisdom and inspiration with the crowd. A Studio Art major and Theatre minor, Anderson was selected by a vote of her classmates to deliver this year’s student address.
Both Ohio Wesleyan’s baccalaureate and commencement ceremonies will be streamed live online at www.owu.edu/stream. Learn more about the events at www.owu.edu/commencement.
