Centre to celebrate Class of ’22 during Commencement weekend

Centre College will host its 199^th Commencement weekend, May 21-22, celebrating the culmination of the Centre Experience for the Class of 2022.

Representing 26 states and seven foreign countries, the graduating class arrived at Centre as one of the most diverse in the College’s history—among them, 33 percent coming from underrepresented populations and 21 percent identifying as first-generation students.

“The Class of 2022 has left their mark at Centre as they persevered for three years through a world pandemic,” said President Milton C. Moreland. “We look forward to honoring their many accomplishments throughout the past four years, as well as celebrating their varied paths onward to meaningful careers and lives of purpose.”

Graduation activities will begin on Saturday, May 21, with a Baccalaureate service at 4 p.m. in Newlin Hall at the Norton Center for the Arts, immediately followed by the family picnic and, at 7 p.m., the beloved Honor Walk ceremony and senior class tribute on the Old Centre lawn.

The Commencement ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 22, in Newlin Hall, with campus satellite locations offered in Weisiger Theater, Old Carnegie and the Campus Center.

As in years past, both Baccalaureate and Commencement will be live-streamed on Centre’s website on the Commencement Headquarters page.

J. Robertson “Robb” Nash ’83 will serve as the Commencement weekend speaker, addressing the Class of 2022 during the Baccalaureate service on Saturday.

Nash, who received a Distinguished Alumni award from Centre in 2014, graduated from the College with a degree in religion and was subsequently awarded a prestigious Watson Fellowship to study the Mennonite lifestyle in Europe. Additionally, he received a master’s degree in studio arts from Murray State University and a master’s degree in business administration with a focus on finance from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He later moved to Nashville to join Columbia HCA before starting his own technology consulting business.

A life-changing experience at age 44 sent Nash back to the classroom at Vanderbilt University, where he graduated with a master’s degree in nursing and became a board-certified advanced practice nurse in acute care.

In 2009, Nash joined the Comprehensive Care Center, a clinic dedicated to the treatment of people with HIV/AIDS at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. From 2010 to 2012, he served as a Jonas Foundation Nurse Scholar, and in 2012, he was named a fellow of the Cal Turner Center for Moral Leadership in the Professions.

Along with his medical work, Nash has taught classes related to poverty at Vanderbilt Divinity School and has worked to build coalitions in the Vanderbilt University community to address the causes of and to create solutions to the issues of poverty and homelessness. He has also spoken on these issues at Centre.

“Robb’s years at Centre, and his lifelong work of service and advocacy, make him an ideal speaker and exemplary model for the graduates,” said Rick Axtell, H. W. Stodghill, Jr. and Adele H. Stodghill Professor of Religion and College Chaplain. “They will be inspired by the many ways he has made a difference in Nashville among some of the most marginalized populations, such as those experiencing homelessness or those diagnosed with HIV.

“I have been inspired for years by the way he embodies the value of a liberal arts education,” he continued, “and I’m thrilled he has agreed to speak for Saturday’s Baccalaureate.”

A complete schedule and additional information about Commencement weekend events, including ticketing and reservation information for the family picnic on Saturday, the Commencement ceremony and Sunday luncheon, can be found on the Commencement Headquarters page on Centre’s website.