Commencement Speaker, Honorary Degree Recipients Announced
INDIANAPOLIS – Marian University will celebrate its 79th Commencement at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 7, 2016. Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archdiocese of Indianapolis, will deliver the Commencement Address, and will also receive an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree.
Marian University has 686 candidates for degrees this year, including 29 students who will receive an associate degree, 520 who will receive a bachelor’s degree, and 137 who will receive a Master’s Degree.
The ceremony will be held at St. Vincent Health Field on the Marian University campus. If inclement weather prohibits an outdoor ceremony, festivities will be moved to the Physical Education Center on campus.
Marian University president Daniel J. Elsener will also bestow honorary doctorate degrees on Michael and Rebecca Weaver (Doctor of Public Service) and Marni McKinney Waterfield (Doctor of Business Administration).
The Most Reverend Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., was appointed Archbishop of Indianapolis by Pope Benedict XVI, on October 18, 2012. Before his appointment as Archbishop of Indianapolis, Archbishop Tobin served as the Archbishop Secretary of the Vatican Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
Michael and Rebecca Weaver serve as co-directors of the Weaver Popcorn Foundation, Inc., a charitable organization that gives central importance to improving educational opportunities at all levels for the youth of central Indiana. Mr. Weaver also serves as president and chief executive officer of Weaver Popcorn Company, which supplies approximately 30 percent of all popcorn consumed throughout the world, exporting to over 60 countries and producing 1.1 billion pouches of microwave popcorn. This is 50 percent of the microwave market in the United States.
Marni McKinney Waterfield serves as president of the McKinney Family Foundation, a philanthropic organization which focuses its charitable efforts on supporting policies and practices that promote environmental responsibility to realize green, healthy, and sustainable communities. Past giving has included the creation of the McKinney Family Green Initiatives Fund to support the City of Indianapolis’ Office of Sustainability, which focuses on environmental initiatives ranging from energy-efficient city buildings to bicycle paths, and significant contributions to the Hoosier Environmental Council Foundation.
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About Marian University Indianapolis
Marian University (www.marian.edu), founded in Indianapolis in 1937, is the only Catholic liberal arts university in central Indiana. It serves a student body of nearly 3,000 through dedication to excellent teaching and learning in the Franciscan and liberal arts traditions. Marian University is one of Indiana’s 31 independent colleges and one of 244 Catholic colleges and universities nationwide.
Since 2001, Marian University has been led by President Daniel J. Elsener, whose vision and leadership are transforming the university. In 2013, Marian University opened the Michael A. Evans Center for Health Sciences, home to its College of Osteopathic Medicine. Marian University has amassed 33 national championships in cycling, captured the NAIA Football National Championship in 2012 and 2015, and won the NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship in 2016.