Walker to Speak at 192nd Commencement Saturday

Lee University's Dr. Mark Walker will deliver the commencement address at the school's winter ceremony, taking place on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 10:30 a.m.

"It will be a personal pleasure to introduce Dr. Walker for the commencement address," said Lee President Dr. Paul Conn. "He has been a valuable member of our team since 2017, and before that, he was a frequent speaker in our chapels.

Walker first established himself at Lee in 2010, by serving for seven years on the Lee University Board of Directors. He then carried out dual roles as the vice president for Ministerial Development and chair of the Department of Christian Ministries, which are positions he held for three years, beginning in 2017.

Dr. Mark Walker

Assuming the presidency in August 2020, Walker led the university for almost four years, welcoming a generation of new Lee students, many of whom are graduating this month.

Before his arrival at Lee, Walker served for 25 years as the senior pastor of Mount Paran North, a prominent Church of God congregation in Cobb County, Georgia. During that period, he also served on several national and international leadership bodies within the denomination, including the prestigious Council of Eighteen, which sets policy for the entire church.

Walker earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Organizational Leadership from Regent University. He also holds two degrees, a Master of Counseling and a Bachelor of Business Administration, from Georgia State University in Atlanta.

Walker and his wife Udella's family includes a son, Justin (who is also a member of the Lee University faculty) and his wife Amanda, and a daughter, Ashten, who lives with her husband Caleb Dick in Birmingham. The Walkers have five grandchildren: Kennedy, Judah, Levi, Reagan, and Micah.

The school's winter commencement is one of three graduation ceremonies held each year on campus, the others being held in the spring and summer. The winter ceremony combines the music, which will be provided by Lee University Chorale, and decorations of the Christmas season with traditional commencement activities.

There will be 158 undergraduate and 15 graduate students receiving degrees in the Saturday morning ceremony. Of the 15 graduate students, two are doctoral students.

Prior to the Saturday commencement, a commissioning ceremony will be held Friday, Dec. 13, at 6:30 p.m. The commissioning service is a special occasion for students and their families to reflect on their time at Lee, and five student speakers will share brief stories about their experiences. During the event, each graduate is presented with a personalized Bible in a traditional walk across the stage.

Both services will be held in the Conn Center.

This December's undergraduate speakers for the commissioning ceremony include Kretel Arzola, a Spanish major; Jacob Chapman, a biblical and theological studies major; Seth Countess, a finance major; Sarah Hurt, a biochemistry major; and Maggie Possinger, a digital media studies in journalism major. Abdiel Medina, an English literature major, will open the ceremony with an invocation, music major Emma Segnini will perform following the commencement address, and Zackery Gates, a Lee Online Bible and theology major, will share the benediction.

In addition to the commissioning ceremony on Friday, the hooding ceremony for recipients of master's degrees, education specialist degrees, and doctoral degrees will be held at 4:30 p.m. in the Lee Chapel.

The hooding, commissioning, and commencement ceremonies are ticketed events.

For those wishing to view any of the events, live streaming will be available at leeu.live.

For more information about commencement exercises, contact the Academic Events Office at [email protected], (423) 614-8117, or visit leeuniversity.edu/academics/graduation-info/.

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