Michael Smith Graduates From Westminster College

2011 Jun 10

Michael Smith of Montgomery City, MO is a member of the graduating class of 2011 at Westminster College in Fulton, MO. Michael earned a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education.

Commencement exercises were held May 8 on the Westminster campus in Champ Auditorium.

"I congratulate this class of 2011 on completing this part of their educational journey," says Westminster President Dr. George B. Forsythe. "Their accomplishments have been impressive and have included election to national boards, world fellowships, conference sports championships and even tackling the problem of world hunger in Mid Missouri. We wish them well as they leave us for exciting first jobs and prestigious graduate programs."

This year's commencement speaker was Al Sikes, Westminster class of 1961, who is a consultant for the Hearst Corporation and Chairman of the Board for the Trinity Forum, a leadership academy. Previously, he was Chair of the Federal Communications Commission where he helped set the stage for the birth of new satellite and cellular-based services and digital television.

Baccalaureate speaker was Dr. Michael P. Williams, Westminster class of 1973, who is the founding pastor and CEO of Joy Tabernacle, the first African American church to relocate in the heart of Houston's inner city.

Following commencement, graduates participated in the historic Columns Ceremony, a Westminster tradition in which seniors walk back through The Columns they first entered on campus to return to the world.

Founded in 1851, Westminster College is one of the top liberal arts colleges in the nation, according to the rankings of U.S.News & World Report. Forbes magazine selected Westminster as one of America's Top Colleges and Universities, the Best Liberal Arts College in Missouri, and one of the Best Liberal Arts Colleges in America. The Princeton Review recently named the College as one of the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the ninth straight year. Newsweek-Kaplan named it "One of the 372 Most Interesting Schools in America." Westminster has also been recognized as one of 240 Colleges of Distinction and CosmoGirl magazine named the school one of the Top 100 American Colleges for women. This selective college for men and women is situated on an 86-acre residential campus with small class sizes taught by an excellent faculty.

Westminster College is internationally recognized for hosting major leaders such as Sir Winston Churchill who made his famous "Iron Curtain" speech at Westminster in 1946. This one historic moment has led to a steady procession of world leaders bringing their messages to Westminster over the years, including four U.S. Presidents, Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher and Lech Walesa. The Winston Churchill Memorial and Library in the United States on campus, the only museum in North America totally devoted to Churchill's life and work, underwent a $4 million renovation in 2006 and is now a state-of-the-art interactive showcase, symbolizing Westminster's educational mission to graduate the world's future "leaders of character." Recently, this beautiful facility was given the designation The National Churchill Museum by the U.S. Congress.

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