Faculty, Staff, and Students Celebrate 145th Convocation

Shaw President Dr. Irma McClaurin delivered a message about accountability at the annual fall convocation ceremony. The ceremony took place last Thursday in the Spaulding Gymnasium and marked the 145th convocation, according to Dr. Quincy Scott Jr., Dean of the Thomas J. Boyd Chapel.

Convocation is a formal event held by the university to officially mark the start of a new academic year. President McClaurin, speaking at her first convocation event at Shaw, said she chose her message to remind students that they have to be accountable for themselves now that they're in college.

"What students do here matters, and I strongly believe this university will rise to new heights if students are responsible for their actions," said McClaurin. Her message was the right one according to Freshman Biology major Jamecia Hawkins. " I'm glad I am here because that message was right on target for me. It served as a reminder that I am the only person responsible for the decisions I make here," Hawkins said.

Senior Computer Science major John Thomas who attended his last convocation, said, "It (Convocation) was better this year than past years, but it probably would have been better if there was a guest speaker to help drive home the message."

With the conclusion of this year's convocation , the class of 2014 has formally been welcomed to Shaw University.