| Alumnus, entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker Greg E. Hill ’14 kicked-off 2016 Fall Commencement activities on Dec. 9, precipitating several alumni strategically involved in the annual ceremony.
 Hill was the guest speaker during the graduation breakfast sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations. He admonished the soon-to-be graduates that as future alumni it’s the little-talked-about things that truly matter following graduation, like showing up and being present for the next phase of life.
During the official commencement ceremony, on Dec. 10, two N.C. A&T alumni and one Greensboro area business executive received honorary degrees.
Kelvin Buncum ’80, vice president of operations for the Great Plains Region of Sam’s Club and commencement speaker; Shirley T. Frye ’53, president of the N.C. A&T Real Estate Foundation Inc. Board of Directors; and Ed Kitchen, vice president/chief operating officer and board member of the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation, were honorary degree recipients from the university.
In his keynote address, Buncum encouraged graduates to choose inclusion, choose their passion, choose to be bold and choose to move beyond their comfort zone. In a play on the lyrics to the popular song, “I Hope You Dance,” he challenged the graduating class to make a conscious choice to build on the rich legacy of activism and social justice that has defined A&T’s history in confronting daunting challenges in today’s America.
“You must envision the ideal and lead us there. You must be better than my generation. I’m not asking you to forget about our past, no I want you to remember and never forget it,” said Buncum. “But don’t be anchored by it, don’t be frustrated by it, but be inspired by it.”
“And you do this, and you honor this institution and you honor your ancestry and you honor your heritage by pursuing excellence. You do it by collaborating globally and by being bridge builders when others seek to divide. We need you to do this. We can be better.”
Buncum has held a variety of positions as he has risen through the corporate ranks of Sam’s Club including vice president of innovations and global business process, vice president of operations strategy and integration and regional general manager for the Mid-South.
Frye has been a constant presence on the A&T campus since her years as a freshman English and education major. She began her career as a public school teacher and continued a path of educating for many years. Frye also worked at A&T in various capacities over the years including assistant vice chancellor for development and university relations and a special assignment as executive assistant to the chancellor.
Many of the initiatives, partnerships and economic stimulus projects that include not only the City of Greensboro, but also A&T have been, in large part, due to Kitchen. A key component of his work at the foundation involves cultivating partnerships with Greensboro’s seven colleges and universities to help boost the economy. As co-chair of Opportunity Greensboro, a business-collegiate partnership, Kitchen led the partnership’s signature project, Union Square Campus, which A&T is an inaugural tenant.
In a fairly new tradition, upon receiving their coveted diplomas and crossing the stage, graduates were greeted by members of the Young Alumni Council and received their official A&T Alumni pins.
Alumna and chairwoman of the N.C. A&T Alumni Association, Pamela Buncum preceded the conclusion of the ceremony by swearing in the new graduates as official university alumni and charged them to always remember and support their great alma mater. |
