Institutional Advancement * Division of Communications * 830 Westview Drive, SW Atlanta, Georgia 30314

MORE THAN 10,000 PEOPLE EXPECTED AT MOREHOUSE COLLEGE
REUNION WEEKEND AND 2002 COMMENCEMENT ACTIVITIES

ATLANTA, MAY 14, 2002 – Approximately 500 graduates are expected to march across the stage at Morehouse College’s 118th Commencement, Sunday, May 19 at 8 a.m. Chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Morehouse alumnus, Julian Bond, will deliver the commencement address on the Morehouse College Campus Green.

"Every year at this time, we celebrate the graduation of hundreds of young men who, in the proud 135-year tradition of Morehouse College, will go on to make outstanding contributions to society," said President Walter E. Massey. "That is the essence of what Morehouse is all about – producing great leaders for our nation and our world."

Commencement speaker Julian Bond is a Distinguished Professor at American University in Washington, DC, and a professor in history at the University of Virginia, where his courses include the "History of the Civil Rights Movement" and "The Black and White '60s."

Honorary degrees will be awarded to Dr. Audrey Manley, president of Spelman College and Ted Turner, vice chairman of AOL Time Warner.

"I have always believed in the value of education," said Turner. "Being recognized by one of the most well-respected learning institutions in the nation is truly an honor."

"I am honored to be the first Spelman woman to become a Morehouse man," said Manley. "This degree manifests our strong traditional ties and our long history of association as institutions of higher learning for black men and women."

Both Turner and Manley will receive the honorary doctorate of humane letters.

More than 10,000 parents, alumni and friends from around the country will gather on campus from May 16-20 to participate in Reunion Weekend and commencement activities.

One of the highlights of Reunion Weekend will be the re-dedication of the renovated Merrill Hall and new Technology Connector. The $7-million project will house a state of the art information technology and telecommunication facility and is designed to support the training of students for careers in the field of telecommunications. The re-dedication will take place in front of Merrill Hall on Friday, May 17, at noon. Media are encouraged to attend.

Baccalaureate services are scheduled for Saturday, May 18, 3 p.m., in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. Dr. Kenneth L. Samuel, pastor of Victory Church in Atlanta, is the speaker.

Ranked the number one college in the nation for educating African American students by Black Enterprise magazine, Morehouse College is the nation’s largest liberal arts college for men. Founded in 1867, the College enrolls approximately 3,000 students and confers bachelor’s degrees on more black men than any other institution in the world. In addition to offering 36 majors in the humanities, natural and social sciences, Morehouse offers a number of programs and activities to enhance its challenging liberal arts curriculum through the Leadership Center at Morehouse College, Morehouse Research Institute, and Andrew Young Center for International Affairs.

Prominent alumni include Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Peace Prize laureate and civil rights leader; Dr. David Satcher, Former U.S. Surgeon General; Sheldon "Spike" Lee, filmmaker and president of 40 Acres & A Mule Productions; Maynard H. Jackson, president of Jackson Securities and the first African-American mayor of Atlanta; and Nima A. Warfield, the first African-American Rhodes Scholar from an historically black college or university.

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