Record number of students to graduate at UVa-Wise
May 21

L. Jay Lemons, the former chancellor of The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, will deliver the keynote address during the College’s 36th commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 21.

The Class of 2005 includes a record 290 members – the largest graduating class in the College’s history. The commencement ceremony begins at 11 a.m. on the Lawn by the Lake. The public is invited to attend.

Lemons has been president of Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania since February 2001. He has led Susquehanna in development of a new strategic plan emphasizing increased intellectual engagement and stronger community as the institution also successfully underwent a 2004 ten-year accreditation review by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Lemons guided enrollment growth from 1,682 students in 2000 to a record 1,930 students in fall 2004, who are also among the strongest in the school’s history.

A native of Scottsbluff, Neb., Lemons earned a B.A. in philosophy and a B.S. in physical education and health education, both with teacher certification, from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1983. He earned his M.Ed. in educational psychology and college student development from the University of Nebraska in 1985. Following service as an area coordinator in the Department of Student Affairs at Texas A&M University, he began doctoral studies at the Center for the Study of Higher Education in the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education. He received his Ph.D. in higher education administration in 1991.

Lemons served as an assistant to U.Va. presidents Robert M. O’Neil and John T. Casteen III from 1989 to 1991. In 1992, President Casteen asked him to undertake a short-term assignment as chancellor of the University’s liberal arts college, now known as The University of Virginia’s College at Wise. That “short-term” assignment evolved into an eight-year tenure.

During his term as chancellor of UVa-Wise, Lemons helped guide the College’s 1999 name change, led the College’s first fundraising campaign, initiated a major building initiative that included the addition of the C. Bascom Slemp Student Center, and worked to enhance the academic program.

The only branch of the University of Virginia, UVa-Wise is ranked among the nation’s top public liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report. UVa-Wise is home to 1,800 students and offers undergraduate and professional programs in the liberal arts tradition of Thomas Jefferson.

For more information about commencement activities, contact the Office of College Relations at 276-328-0130 or visit www.uvawise.edu.