Bellarmine University will award 89 master’s and 354 bachelor's degrees during its 54th annual commencement exercises on Saturday, May 12. The commencement speaker will be Wendell Berry, celebrated American writer, farmer and conservationist. Ceremonies will begin at noon in Knights Hall on Bellarmine’s campus.
Berry, a Kentucky native, has taught English and written more than 30 books of poetry, essays as well as novels. Berry continues to farm land along the Kentucky River that his family has worked for over two centuries.
In addition to the conferral of the traditional degrees, honorary doctorates will be awarded to Berry; Archbishop Thomas Kelly, the third and current Archbishop of Louisville; and William P. (Billy) Bradford, teacher and theater director at Trinity High School and the Youth Performing Arts School (YPAS).
Other highlights of the commencement exercises will be awarding the Archbishop's Medal of Scholastic Excellence, the Wilson W. Wyatt Fellowships and the In Veritatis Amore award. The Archbishop's Medal is awarded to the graduate having the highest cumulative grade point average; the Wyatt Fellowship is presented to a student who has accomplished a high academic standing, is an outstanding student leader, and has completed a competitive interview and nomination process. The In Veritatis Amore award is named after Bellarmine University’s Latin motto, which translated means in love of truth, and it is given to the best all around male and female.