Charleston Southern University graduates Class of 2018

Charleston Southern University conferred 682 degrees Saturday, May 5 at North Charleston Coliseum.

President Jairy C. Hunter Jr. was keynote speaker at the final commencement ceremony over which he presided. After serving 34 years as Charleston Southern’s second president, Hunter was granted President Emeritus status during the ceremony.

Hunter shared five essentials for maximizing your full potential:

1. Perform a Self-Analysis
2. Know Your Purpose
3. Set Goals in Every Aspect of Life
4. Have a Burning Desire to Succeed
5. Protect Your Name

He said, “Successful people allow their God-given purpose and passion to guide their lives. They have a single focus and undivided heart. Without a clear purpose, people will keep changing directions, jobs and relationships, hoping that each change will bring fulfillment. It is human nature to get distracted by minor issues. Many of us are like gyroscopes spinning around but never maximizing our full potential.

“Knowing your purpose enables you to concentrate your efforts and energy on what is really important,” said Hunter. “You become effective by being selective. You can tell when someone has a true passion for something; they are motivated and persistent. Nothing energizes like having a clear purpose. I have loved my job as President of CSU for more than three decades.”

Special awards were presented during the ceremony to recognize community members, students and faculty.

Honorary Doctor of Business Administration
Jesse Franklin “Frank” Bullard III, Market President for BB&T 

Honorary Doctor of Christian Leadership
James “Jay” Henry Strack Jr., Founder of Student Leadership University 

Distinguished Service Award
John D. Osborne, Executive Administrator of Charleston Angel Partners, Director of The Harbor Entrepreneur Center and Managing Partner of Good Growth Capital

Student Awards

The Myrtle E. Hamrick Award: (A medal awarded annually to the CSU female graduate who possesses the highest virtues of Christian womanhood.)
Katie Ellen Kramps, a kinesiology major from Summerville

The Hunter Cup: (Presented to a member of the graduating class who has best served the university and whose character, scholarship and athletic ability are deemed outstanding.)
Sophie Cloessner, a member of the women’s tennis team, a management major from Ehringshausen, Germany

The John A. Barry Scholar Award: (Presented to the graduating senior who has achieved the highest scholastic ratio and who, in the judgment of the faculty, evidences the greatest promise for future scholarship.)
Zachary Davis Kegley, a biochemistry major from King George, Va.

The Carolyn Killen Hunter Outstanding Christian Teacher Endowed Scholarship and Award:(Awarded to a rising senior in the College of Education who has demonstrated Christian leadership.)
Amelia Rhyne Skelton, an early childhood education major from Goose Creek

Emeritus Faculty

Patricia J. Hambrick, Emerita Professor of Education 

Stephen Douglas Hudson, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry

Sandra Hammond Hughes, Emerita Professor of Library Science 

Monica R. Langley, Emerita Professor of Library Science

Excellence in Teaching Award
Glorimar Blanco, Assistant Professor of Spanish 

To view a photo gallery from the 2018 CSU Graduation, click here.

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