Aquinas Institute of Theology will confer graduate degrees and certificates on fifty-six women and men in a commencement ceremony on Friday, May 9, at 7:00 pm at St. Louis University’s “College” Church located at Grand and Lindell Blvds. Sr. Donna Markham, O.P. will be the commencement speaker; commencement is open to the public.
In addition to the conferral of regular academic degrees, Aquinas Institute of Theology will award honorary degrees (Doctor of Humane Letters) to the following individuals:
• Donna Markham, O.P. – Prioress general of the Adrian Dominican Congregation. Sr. Markham holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and is a fellow in the American Academy of Clinical Psychology. She is the former president and CEO of The Southdown Institute, a multidisciplinary mental healthcare facility in Canada that treats church professionals.
• Dr. Anthony Tersigni, Ed.D., FACHE – President and CEO of Ascension Health. Dr. Tersigni has served in executive positions in health care, and has served as a board member for many professional organizations including The United Way of Greater Saint Louis. He was listed as one of Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare in 2006 and 2007.
• Alice Bourke Hayes, Ph.D. – President Emerita, University of San Diego. Dr. Hayes has also served St. Louis University and Loyola University in a variety of executive capacities. An author, board member and advisor, she has been a member of NASA’s Space Biology Program and has been a citizen ambassador to South America, China, and the former U.S.S.R.
• Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, Ph.D., General Secretary, National Council of Churches, USA. Rev. Dr. Kinnamon is widely regarded as a leading voice in the ecumenical movement in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Most recently, he taught at Eden Seminary; he has lectured in such places as India, Australia, China, Zambia and Israel.
Aquinas Institute of Theology, the only Catholic institution in the world offering a Doctorate in Preaching, is sponsored by the Order of Preachers, or Dominicans. Priesthood candidates at the school prepare for ordination alongside vowed religious, laypeople pursuing careers in ministry and those who simply seek a richer faith life. While most students are Catholic, the school welcomes all men and women of good will. Students represent communities that stretch from coast to coast; others come from as far away as Africa and South America.