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AMY KELLY, College Communications and Media Relations director
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CONCORDIA COLLEGE TO HOLD COMMENCEMENT
Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., will present approximately 532 bachelor’s degrees and eight Master of Education degrees during its commencement ceremony at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 7, in Memorial Auditorium. Miquette Denie McMahon, a 2006 graduate and founder of TeacHaiti, will deliver the commencement address. There will also be two honorary doctorates given. The Faculty Senate and the Concordia College Board of Regents will confer the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, upon James Parke ’68 and Dr. Olin Storvick at commencement.
After working at a nursing home and a hospital in Detroit Lakes, Minn., McMahon returned to Haiti where she founded TeacHaiti, a nonprofit organization that raises funds to send children to school in Haiti. After Haiti’s earthquake when many schools in Haiti were destroyed, she opened TeacHaiti School of Hope in Port au Prince. Currently, TeacHaiti educates more than 350 students through scholarships. McMahon oversees every aspect of TeacHaiti and spends much of her time advocating and fundraising throughout the U.S.
Parke, a native of Glasgow, Mont., is a retired chief financial officer of GE Capital Services, one of the largest financial services companies in the country and was regarded as one of the nation’s top chief financial officers. He joined General Electric in 1968 after graduation from Concordia. He served on the Board of Regents and was chair of the 13-member Global Leadership Board that played a vital role in the building of the Offutt School of Business. He and his wife have committed to helping their community and are actively involved in efforts to educate the disadvantaged.
Storvick has been a member of the Concordia faculty since 1955 where he had primary responsibility for Concordia’s Greek program and is currently classicist-in-residence. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1949 from Luther College, a master’s in Greek in 1950 and a doctorate in classics in 1968 from the University of Michigan. He was a Fulbright Scholar, studying in Athens, Greece, before joining Concordia’s faculty. He led archaeological expeditions, served in every aspect of college governance, and was awarded the Reuel and Alma Wije Professorship in 1988-1991.
Concordia College is a four-year liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America offering more than 50 majors, including 15 honors majors and 12 preprofessional programs.
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