As he presented the honorary doctorate of letters to Michael Catt, University of Mobile (UMobile) President Mark Foley cited the pastor’s “insight, inventiveness, courage and determination to honor God.”
“The world has been touched and changed in the name of Christ” through the work that Catt has done, Foley said.
Catt, senior pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church, Albany, Ga., and executive producer with nationally acclaimed Sherwood Pictures, delivered the commencement address to 340 UMobile graduates and an audience of thousands gathered at the Mobile Civic Center on May 8 for the university’s 44th commencement ceremony.
Catt, a member of the school’s board of regents whose two daughters are graduates of UMobile, challenged the 2010 graduating class to “think how you can use your education and experiences, your ups and downs, to change your world.”
He said people are either mimics or mavericks. “We are a culture driven by trends and fads and peer pressure and so we become mimics. My challenge to you today is to be a maverick, to cut your own path, to make your own way,” Catt said.
“God put this university in this community for a reason and a purpose — not just to exist but to impact. You are part of making the vision come to pass. Don’t be afraid to stand up and speak up,” Catt said.
Miles McCauley, of Montgomery, was chosen as the recipient of the William K. Weaver Jr. Excellence Award. The award is presented to the most outstanding graduating male senior for excellence in exemplifying the mission of UMobile and is considered the highest recognition possible for a graduating male senior student.
McCauley graduated summa cum laude, earning a bachelor of science in music with a secondary education certificate. He has committed to work with Teach for America for two years, teaching music to students in low-income and at-risk communities in Greenwood, Miss.
McCauley was a leader in the Center for Performing Arts, a member of the ensemble IMPACT and section leader and soloist in the Symphonic Winds. He also serves in a local church and community organizations.
Carissa Pletcher, of Chipley, Fla., was chosen as the recipient of the Annie Boyd Parker Weaver Excellence Award. The award is presented to the most outstanding graduating female senior for excellence in exemplifying the mission of UMobile and is considered the highest recognition possible for a graduating female senior student.
Pletcher graduated summa cum laude, earning a bachelor of science in elementary education with an elementary education certificate. She will spend the next two years as a full-time missionary in Spain teaching English as a second language.
Pletcher served as vice president of the reading council and was active in many organizations at UMobile. She worked with inner-city children at The Light of the Village ministry and was a camp counselor and on the leadership staff for two years at CentriKid, a camp sponsored by LifeWay Christian Resources.
The university presented additional awards at the Honors Convocation on May 7 at Ram Hall on campus.
The President’s Scholastic Award for bachelor’s degree students earning perfect 4.0 grade point averages was presented to Judith R. Boone, of Mobile, bachelor of science in nursing; Amber Lee Collinsworth, of Pensacola, Fla., bachelor of arts in English and bachelor of science in communication; Michael Tyler Davenport, of Lebanon, Tenn., bachelor of science in nursing; Alyssa Jean Mueller, of Ocala, Fla., bachelor of science in sociology and psychology; Ashley Miranda Murphy, of Atmore, bachelor of science in early childhood and elementary education; Marty Albright Naugle, of Spartanburg, S.C., master of business administration; Shantee Marie Reed, of McIntosh, bachelor of science in accounting; and Angelique Sturm, of Coral Springs, Fla., bachelor of arts in art. (UMobile)
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