Commencement Exercises Scheduled For December 10-12

Charles Wyatt
Commencement Exercises Scheduled For December 10-12

With the fall semester coming to a close, Limestone College will be holding three commencement exercises at Fullerton Auditorium.

Limestone will confer a total of 321 degrees during those graduations planned for Dec. 10-12. Board of Trustees Chairman Richard Baines will welcome graduates, family members, and guests each day.

The 43 day program students will graduate Thursday, Dec. 10, at 4 p.m. A luncheon at Stephenson Dining Hall will be held for those graduates at 12 noon, and following a 1:30 p.m. rehearsal, Limestone president Dr. Walt Griffin will host a reception in their honor at 2:30 p.m. at the Curtis Administration Building. The commencement speaker on Thursday will be David Rilling, Vice President for Financial Affairs. The invocation will be given by Reverend David Weber from Overbrook Presbyterian Church.

On Thursday, Randy Hines will be presented with an honorary degree of Doctor of Public Service. A native of Rutherford County, NC, Hines graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s in Business Administration. He was a member of the Saints golf team and the Lambda Mu Sigma fraternity.

Upon graduation he went to work at Limestone in the Admissions Office and served as head coach for the men’s golf team. During his tenure as golf coach, the program was built into a national power that captured the 1984 NAIA National Championship and recorded two other top four finishes. Hines was named NAIA District 6 Coach of the Year in 1981, 1982, and 1983. He brought Limestone its first-ever National Championship in 1984 and was named National Coach of the Year.

Hines and his wife Susan reside in Atlanta. He has worked in advertising and marketing locally, nationally, and internationally. In 2003, he started his own firm, the R M Hines Group, located in Atlanta, specializing in branding, promotions, and marketing.

In 1995 became a Limestone College Trustee and is currently serving in his fourth term. He is also Chairman of Limestone’s current “Today’s Needs…Tomorrow’s Dreams” capital campaign.

Hines was inducted into the Limestone Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. He was given Limestone’s Athletic “Super Saint” award in 1996 and 2013. He has also received Limestone’s Alumni Association award for Service to College in 2006 and Alumnus of The Year in 2011. He and Susan are major contributors to Limestone College and are members of the Lifetime Cumulative Giving Society and the Limestone Legacy Circle at the Benefactor Level.

Graduation for the 137 Online & Evening Classroom students will take place at 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11. Those graduates will enjoy a brunch at 10:30 a.m., followed by a campus tour by Dr. Griffin at 12 noon. Following a 1:30 p.m. rehearsal, Dr. Griffin’s reception in their honor will begin at 2:30 p.m. Friday’s commencement address will be delivered by Donna Hudson, Director of the Evening Program. The invocation will be given by Reverend Wofford Caughman from Southside Baptist Church.

The 141 Online & Evening Internet and MBA program students will graduate on Saturday, Dec. 12, and will follow the same schedule as the Online & Evening classroom students. Saturday’s speaker will be Dr. Keith Keppley, Assistant Professor of Business Administration. The invocation will be given by R. Gabriel Stoeppler, Associate Professor Emeritus of Business Administration.

Limestone will posthumously present an honorary Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration/Finance to Amy S. Keller of Boiling Springs, SC. Keller passed away on Aug. 13, 2015. Her daughter, Kylee, will accept the honorary degree on her late mother’s behalf. Her husband, Kyle, will also be in attendance.