MC’s Winter Commencement to be held on Dec. 13

Mississippi College’s Winter Commencement is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 13, in the A.E. Wood Coliseum on the Clinton campus.

Christian Pinnen, MC’s 2023-24 Distinguished Professor of the Year, and a professor of history and political science and co-director of African American Studies in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, will deliver the keynote address.

A critically acclaimed author who earned a spot in the second cohort of a prestigious fellowship program at the Bright Institute at Knox College, Pinnen will explain how students’ educational experiences at MC will “inspire them to eschew quick judgment and embrace curiosity, leading them to deeper commitment to the Christian values foundational to a Christian liberal arts education.”

For the first time in many years, Commencement will be a single ceremony. All seven schools at MC, including the Mississippi College School of Law, will participate.

“This gives us a great opportunity to have the entire MC family together under one roof at one time to celebrate our graduates,” said Lori Bobo, MC director of university events. “We’re excited about this unique experience for our graduates to celebrate their accomplishment with one another.”

Chip Wilson, MC director of student well-being, will give the invocation. An MC alum and recipient of the 2024 Van “Doc” Quick Distinguished Staff Member Award, Wilson is well known by students for helping them grow into leaders.

More than 300 students are expected to receive degrees during Friday’s ceremony.

“It is humbling to be counted among those in a long line of MC’s most talented educators that came before me,” Pinnen said. “In the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, we have four current faculty who hold this distinction, including Dr. David Miller, Dr. Steven Price, Dr. Keri Jordan and Dr. John Meadors.

“Professor Kirk Ford, also a recipient of the award, had a fair share in mentoring me and was an excellent role model. Each of these have left their mark on generations of students and fostered some of the core qualities of a Christian liberal arts education, the very foundation of the educational experience at MC.”

MC President Blake Thompson will address the graduates and MC Provost and Executive Vice President Michael Highfield will recommend and endorse the graduating students to receive their degrees. With the help of each school’s respective dean, Thompson will confer degrees to each graduate.

Chip Wilson, MC director of student well-being, will give the invocation. An MC alum and recipient of the 2024 Van “Doc” Quick Distinguished Staff Member Award, Wilson is well-known by students for helping them grow into leaders.