Emory University celebrated its 180th Commencement Exercises in ceremonies spanning from May 9 to May 12. The weekend culminated in a university-wide Commencement ceremony which was moved indoors to the Woodruff P.E. Center due to inclement weather. In all, Emory awarded 5,629 degrees to graduates from 53 U.S. states and territories and 71 countries.
The highlight for Candler’s Class of 2025 was the morning of May 10 in Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church on Emory’s campus, where the school’s Graduate Recognition Ceremony took place. Candler conferred 128 degrees, including 80 Master of Divinity, seven Master of Theology, 10 Master of Theological Studies, one Master of Religious Leadership, four Master of Religion and Public Life, 21 Doctor of Ministry, two Master of Divinity/Master of Business Administration, two Master of Divinity/Master of Social Work, and one Master of Divinity/Master of Public Health. Watch the ceremony recording.
The Rev. Edward Ducree 68T and Joy Ducree Gregory 25T
In his opening remarks, Mary Lee Hardin Willard Dean Jonathan Strom recognized Edward Ducree 68T, Candler’s first Black graduate and a past recipient of the Dean’s Medal, the school’s highest honor. Ducree was present to celebrate the graduation of his daughter, MDiv student Joy Ducree Gregory.
The dean noted that Professor of Christianity and World Politics Jan Love, who served as Candler’s dean from 2007 to 2024, is this year’s recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Award, Emory University’s highest recognition for a faculty or staff member. The Jefferson Award honors a faculty or administrator who has significantly enriched the intellectual and civic life of the Emory community. Strom congratulated Love, noting that she officially retires this year after 18 years as dean and spending the past academic year on sabbatical. He also shared that James Abbington, associate professor of church music and worship, is departing the faculty after twenty years to take a new position at Duke Divinity School.
Dr. Elizabeth Corrie stands to receive her teaching award.
Strom announced Professor in the Practice of Youth Education and Peacebuilding Elizabeth Corrie 96T 02G as the Candler honoree for the Provost’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Education, which recognizes outstanding scholars who excel as teachers within formal and informal educational settings.
Candler Alumni Board member Chris Rapko 11T, associate pastor of Atlanta First United Methodist Church, welcomed the graduates to their new status as alumni.
In his formal address, Dean Strom read selected verses from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 12, where Jesus tells his disciples not to worry but to strive for God’s kingdom. He reflected that while the field of academia often focuses on individual achievements, even a success that appears to be accomplished by one person in fact has many behind it. Strom praised the Class of 2025’s impressive and creative work across degree programs, showcasing projects that address historical, theological, and contemporary issues.
Dean Jonathan Strom addresses the Candler Class of 2025.
“Our community is stronger when our student body and our faculty reflect the fullness of God’s diverse creation,” Strom told the graduating class. “When I hear from faculty about the kinds of projects you, our students, have pursued across degree programs, I am likewise buoyed. When I learn about the ways that you will enrich the life of churches, schools, hospitals, and communities after graduation, I am heartened. When I see the kind of young professors who want to be part of the Candler faculty for a long time and become an integral part of our mission, I have hope, and I think the Gospel gives us reason for that.
“[The Gospel passage] doesn’t want us to worry the small or the wrong things. Rather it advises us to save our striving for different directions, for God’s kingdom. That’s what the work you all have done at Candler in so many different expressions—from the classroom to prisons, from after-school programs to brilliant graduate theses, from Cannon Chapel to the streets of Atlanta—demonstrates. These are elements of striving for the kingdom.
“Thank you, Class of 2025, for teaching me.”
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Photos: Cindy Brown 09T and Tyrae Campbell, C Brown Photo