MACON, GA — Wesleyan’s Class of 2008 anxiously awaited the call to action and inspiration of award winning author, Cassandra King, at the commencement ceremony held Saturday, May 10. Sweetened with her distinctive Southern humor, King imparted her wisdom whether they were ready to receive it or not. “Because you are young and unenlightened – while I am old and wise – my first pearl of wisdom is this: heartfelt sincerity is a valuable virtue. Once you learn to fake it, you’re well on your way to success.”
Daring the graduates to laugh at themselves and to recognize the humor in each other was another pearl of wisdom. Amidst the laughter, King offered five essential lessons. Be sweet. Be grateful. Be crazy. Be strong. Above all, be open to receive love and the lessons of your life. According to King, valuable lessons and meaningful human connections surround us, always. When we are ready to receive those lessons, we are forever changed. “We have to be ready for it, open to it. When the pupil is ready, the teacher arrives.”
Cassandra King is the bestselling author of four novels, The Sunday Wife, Making Waves, The Same Sweet Girls, and Queen of Broken Hearts, as well as numerous short stories and articles. Among other accolades, The Sunday Wife was a Book Sense Pick and a People magazine Page Turner of the Week; The Same Sweet Girls was the national number one Book Sense selection of February 2005; and Queen of Broken Hearts was chosen for the Literary Guild and Book-of-the-Month Club.
Cassandra King is a native of Alabama, where she formerly taught English and creative writing classes. She earned a bachelor’s degree in 1967, and then later resumed study and earned a master’s degree in 1988. King began her career as a published author late in life and produced four best selling novels in a period of five years, from 2002 to 2007. She currently resides in South Carolina with her husband Pat Conroy, also a best selling novelist. She has begun work on a fifth novel, tentatively titled Bridal Falls.
King is widely regarded for her distinctive Southern voice and strong Southern heroines who often struggle with very real issues. Despite the hilarious small town melodrama, King’s messages are timeless and universal because she writes from an authentic voice that celebrates human connections. “Her novels are fueled by the power of women's friendships,” said Wesleyan President Ruth Knox, “something we at Wesleyan understand well.”
During the commencement ceremony, Wesleyan College awarded degrees to 98 graduates, including 68 candidates for the bachelor of arts degree, 8 candidates for the bachelor of science in business administration, and 22 candidates for the master of arts in education degree. In a separate ceremony, Wesleyan awarded 32 graduate degrees to professionals through its Executive Master of Business Administration program.
Of the 2008 graduates who earned the bachelor of arts degree at Wesleyan, 16% earned double majors and 30% graduated with honors. Top majors for 2008 were: psychology (22%), business/economics (22%), biology (12%), and advertising & marketing communication (10%). More than 70% of the class immediately secured professional positions in their fields of study and/or had accepted positions in graduate programs prior to commencement. All who applied to graduate school programs were accepted, except two students whose applications are pending. More than 30% of the graduating class will immediately begin masters or doctoral programs that represent a broad range of study including psychology, law, veterinary medicine, art history, finance, economics, and business administration.
Many Wesleyan graduates enter the workforce with unique qualifications and have combined major and minor programs in ways that separate them from other job-seeking candidates. Some double major combinations of 2008 graduates include: psychology with Spanish, philosophy with political science, biology with business administration, music with education, and business with economics.
Through its undergraduate and graduate education programs, Wesleyan produced 25 exemplary teachers for Georgia. This year, 100% of Wesleyan’s undergraduate education majors secured teaching positions with the Bibb County public school system for the upcoming fall. Those positions also garnered the highest average starting salaries making this major the most marketable for 2008 Wesleyan grads.
Overall, more 2008 Wesleyan graduates will pursue business-related professions than any other field. They are well prepared with degrees and majors in business administration, economics, international relations, and advertising & marketing communication. Wesleyan students taking the economics ETS national field exam in 2008 ranked in the 95th percentile nationally (the highest ranking) in overall performance. Wesleyan will advance 100% of its 2008 economics majors to competitive graduate programs including Carnegie Mellon, University of Texas Austin, Vanderbilt University, Johns Hopkins University, and Ohio State University. Wesleyan’s economics program placed all of its students in fully funded seminars or paid internships for the summer, and one fellowship finalist position for graduate studies.
Despite the major field of interest, Wesleyan’s rigorous academic program combined with a foundation of faith and service produces graduates unified through engaged leadership and a commitment to pursue more purposeful lives. The four-year national liberal arts college for women is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Since its founding in 1836 as the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women, Wesleyan has been consistently recognized for academic excellence. |
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Download Class of 2008 graduation photo. |
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