CS
Caroline Slavin
  • English and political science
  • Class of 2013
  • Brashear, MO

Caroline Slavin Graduates from Westminster College in Fulton, MO

2013 Jul 19

Caroline Slavin of Brashear, Missouri, is a member of the graduating class of 2013 at Westminster College in Fulton, MO.

Slavin earned a bachelor’s degree with a major in English at commencement exercises held May 11.

The special day for the 237 seniors began with an inspirational baccalaureate message that morning from Rev. D. David Holyan, the father of graduating senior Anna Holyan, in Champ Auditorium.

A commencement luncheon was held for the graduates, their families and Westminster faculty and staff following baccalaureate.

That afternoon, once the procession of platform party, faculty and graduating class had taken their places in Champ Auditorium, Westminster President Dr. George B. Forsythe and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Bob Muehlhauser welcomed the honored graduates.

Commencement speaker for the ceremony was Don Tomnitz from Dallas, TX, Class of 1970. Tomnitz, who is Vice Chairman, President, and CEO of D.R. Horton, Inc., America’s largest new home builder, challenged the graduates in his keynote commencement address to make their own decisions about their future and to learn from their own mistakes.

Tomnitz put the value of a liberal arts education in perspective when he told the group: “Your time at Westminster was well spent and the best money your spent or you earned. And most importantly, the best debt you ever incurred...When you go out and buy your first car, and you tell me, as it is with me, 40 years from now...which is worth more? The car or the degree?”

He also told them that any success they received would depend on their own efforts.

One of the other highlights of the ceremony was the words of advice offered by Senior Class President Audrey Sharp from Columbia, Missouri. Sharp told her classmates: “During our time at Westminster, we have learned more than just biology, sociology, English, and philosophy. We’ve learned how to be...how to think for ourselves and how to think about someone other than ourselves.”

Following commencement exercises, graduates participated in the historic Columns Ceremony, a Westminster tradition. Just as they are welcomed as freshmen into the Westminster community by walking through The Columns onto campus, graduates say good-bye to Westminster by walking back through The Columns and into the world.

Founded in 1851, Westminster College is one of the top liberal arts colleges in America, according to all major educational ranking firms including U.S.News & World Report, Forbes magazine, The Princeton Review and Washington Monthly. National high school counselors recognize Westminster as one of the Top Two Liberal Arts Colleges in Missouri to receive the best education. This selective college for men and women operates on two campuses, one an 86-acre residential campus in Fulton, MO, and a second Southwestern urban campus in the vibrant downtown of Mesa, AZ. Westminster is a challenging academic environment where students are educated to lead and inspired to achieve. Ninety-six percent of Westminster graduates start their first job or enroll in graduate or professional schools within six months of graduation.

To learn more about Westminster College, people can visit the College web site at www.westminster-mo.edu.