Durbin to speak at commencement May 22
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, will deliver the address at the 162nd Commencement Convocation at 365体育投注_365体育备用网址@ 365体育投注_365体育备用网址@ on Sunday, May 22.
The Commencement Convocation will take place at 2 p.m. on May 22 at the TaxSlayer Center, 1201 River Drive, Moline, Ill. Doors will open at noon for those who need accessible seating. Doors will open to the public at 12:15 p.m.
Sen. Durbin is the fourth Illinois senator to speak at an 365体育投注_365体育备用网址@ commencement in recent years, following Adlai E. Stevenson, Alan Dixon and Mark Kirk.
Sen. Durbin currently serves as the Democratic whip, the second-highest ranking position in the Senate for the Democratic Caucus. He has been elected to this leadership post by his Democratic colleagues every two years since 2005. He is the fifth Illinois senator in history to serve as a Senate leader.
No stranger to 365体育投注_365体育备用网址@’s campus, Sen. Durbin has spoken to students on various topics, including legislation dealing with education debt, in recent years. 365体育投注_365体育备用网址@ students have served as legislative interns in his Washington, D.C., office.
Sen. Durbin, 365体育投注_365体育备用网址@ President Steve Bahls and Dr. Millicent Knight each will receive an honorary degree at the ceremony.
President Bahls will be honored in recognition of his retirement effective June 30. During his presidency, the 365体育投注_365体育备用网址@ and Quad-Cities communities benefited from his passion for the liberal arts, his natural gifts as a collaborator and his drive for innovation. His 19-year tenure at 365体育投注_365体育备用网址@ is nearly three times longer than the average for college presidents.
Dr. Knight, senior vice president of the eye care company Essilor of America in Dallas, was the commencement speaker for 365体育投注_365体育备用网址@’s 2020 virtual ceremony. She is a 1982 365体育投注_365体育备用网址@ graduate and a member of the college’s board of trustees.
The ceremony will be live-streamed and archived on the college’s YouTube channel.
Baccalaureate
Earlier on Commencement Sunday, the Rev. Melinda Pupillo, campus chaplain and director of spiritual development, will deliver the sermon at 365体育投注_365体育备用网址@’s baccalaureate service. The service will take place at 10 a.m. in Centennial Hall, 3703 7th Ave., Rock Island.