For the last time, the sonorous skirl of the bagpipes accompanied graduates as they traversed the causeway across the lake during St. Andrews University’s final graduation ceremony held Sunday.
Stephanie Walcott | The Laurinburg Exchange
About 100 graduates made up St. Andrews University’s Class of 2025, the university’s final class.
Stephanie Walcott | The Laurinburg Exchange
Kate Gamez-Tovar, a Biomedical Science major from Franklinton, gave the final senior address at St. Andrews University’s final commencement held on Sunday.
Stephanie Walcott | The Laurinburg Exchange
Sunday morning marked the 127th and final graduation at Saint Andrews University.
Stephanie Walcott | The Laurinburg Exchange
LAURINBURG — “The bells may no longer ring, and our buildings may grow quiet, but the spirit of St. Andrews endures — steadfast, proud, and eternal.”
Those were the words spoken by St. Andrews University President Tarun Malik during the graduation ceremony held for the Class of 2025.
Sunday morning marked the 127th and final graduation at St. Andrews University. The sonorous skirl of the bagpipes accompanied graduates as they traversed the causeway across the lake for the last time.
“Today we gather in a moment unlike any other in the life of St. Andrew’s University,” Malik told the crowd in his welcoming remarks. “This is a day of celebration and remembrance of deep gratitude, and yes, a bittersweet farewell. We mark not only the achievements of this graduating class, but the closing chapter of a remarkable story.”
Malik said the university has a rich history stretching back to the 1896 founding of Flora McDonald College, which merged with Presbyterian Junior College to form SAU in 1961.
“This is certainly not the end of our story,” He concluded his address by saying. “You are the living embodiment of all that St. Andrews has stood for — wisdom and humanity — and you are carrying these ideas forth into the world.”
Dean of Academic Affairs Stephanie McDavid presented the Class of 1991 Distinguished Faculty Service Award to Assistant Professor of Theatre Cinny Beggs, who joined the SAU faculty in 2014. McDavid said Beggs is “… someone whose name brings instant joy around campus. She has helped generations of students find their voices on and off the stage.”
Kate Gamez-Tovar, a Biomedical Science major from Franklinton, gave the final senior address. She spoke of all the good times and hard work that brought the class of 2025 to this final, much-anticipated moment.
“What makes the class of 2025 so special is our resilience,” Gamex-Tovar said. “We adapt when things don’t go as planned. We supported each other through setbacks, breakups, bad hair days, bad exams, and bad classes …We lift each other up. We don’t just survive challenges- we turn them into moments of connection.”
She encouraged her fellow graduates, as the last graduating class of SAU, to carry forward, “… the values of kindness, curiosity, and community that we learned at St. Andrews.”
Fred McCoy and David Burns, both former members of the SAU board of trustees, delivered the keynote address.
McCoy spoke to the graduates about developing character.
“Your experiences form your beliefs, values and aspirations,” McCoy said. “It is up to you to seek out experiences that will form you to the good. Put every experience to productive use, whether the experience is positive or negative. Allow your beliefs to develop. You’re our future leaders. Leadership is about character.”
Burns encouraged graduates to seek out opportunities for community service.
“If you share your personal talents, you will enrich the lives of others and your own life. Community involvement is a win-win for everybody, and I hope you will be involved,” he said.
After approximately 100 degrees were conferred, Malik wrapped up the ceremony with a message for the SAU’s final class and the hundreds of spectators who gathered.
“A place like this cannot be measured in brick and mortar,” Malik said. “Its true legacy lies in the lives it has shaped. In your story, your courage, your dreams.”