Appearing before graduates, their friends and families, and many others from the Lee community, Southern Nazarene University President Dr. Loren Gresham inspired and challenged graduates during Saturday’s commencement held in the Lee University Conn Center.

Introducing the keynote speaker to the audience, Lee President Dr. Paul Conn called Gresham one of “the great leaders of private higher education in America.”

In his address to the group, Gresham encouraged graduates to stay true to who they are as Christians but also remember that the world will judge them based on performance, so they should be principled while demonstrating a productivity that will set them apart.

As Gresham concludes his 28th year as president of SNU, he is the longest tenured president currently serving at any college or university in Oklahoma. He has served at various times as chair of the board of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities and as chair of the Council of Presidents of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). He was also the head coach of the SNU men’s basketball team that won the 1981 NAIA National Championship.

Over 180 degrees were conferred at Saturday’s graduation, 50 of which were for graduate studies. This is one of three graduation weekends at Lee each year; commencements are also held in May and December.

Saturday’s ceremony was preceded by a hooding for students earning master’s degrees and a commissioning service on Friday night, which featured six student speakers sharing their “Lee experience.”

To view the graduation events in full, visit Lee Video.