SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Wofford College awarded 453 baccalaureate degrees during the 172nd Commencement Exercises on Sunday, May 17.
Dr. Nayef H. Samhat, the 11th president of Wofford College, delivered the keynote address to those gathered on the lawn of Main Building.
Honorary degree, teaching and service awards
The college conferred honorary degrees on four individuals: Ashley Richardson Allen, Christopher A.P. Carpenter ’90, Dr. Nayef Samhat and Prema Samhat (see details below).
Special teaching awards were presented to Dr. Rachel Vanderhill, associate professor of international affairs, and Dr. Lori Cruze, associate professor of biology. Vanderhill received the Philip Covington Award for Excellence in Teaching of Humanities and Social Sciences. Cruze received the Roger Milliken Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Science.
The college presented the prestigious Algernon Sydney Sullivan and Mary Mildred Sullivan awards. The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award went to Joe Khalil (student recipient) and Dr. James Bearden (non-student recipient). The Mary Mildred Sullivan Award went to Sunni Owens (student recipient) and Stacy McBride (non-student recipient).
Honor Graduates
Six Honor Graduates were recognized for earning a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout their college careers:
Katherine Rose Gillum
Grace Anna Harrison
Jenna Ashlyn Hollis
Adam McKinley Hoyle
Matthew Grant Johnson
Riley Joi Stastny
Retiring faculty
Two retiring faculty members were recognized during the ceremony: John Fort, associate professor of economics (24 years of service), and Dr. Cecile Nowatka, professor of psychology (27 years of service).
ROTC commissioning
The college recognized eight students who were commissioned as second lieutenants into the U.S. Army on Saturday, May 16.
Hayden Davis Canaday
Granville Thomas Chandler
Carlie Marie Cutinella
Garrett Robert Dall
Jack Orion Fasano
Robert Meegan Joseph
Presley Maddox Worf
Class of 1976
The Class of 1976 celebrated its 50th reunion during Commencement Weekend. Members of the class led the processional for Commencement and were the first to congratulate the new graduates and welcome them as alumni of the college as they recessed from the ceremony.
Honorary degree recipients
Ashley Richardson Allen, Doctor of Humanities
Over three decades, Allen has represented the Richardson family in managing the Richardson Family Endowed Scholarship — the college’s largest and most prestigious scholarship — including oversight of student selection and ongoing relationships with scholars. Under her involvement, scholarship recipients have gone on to pursue internships, study abroad, conduct research, participate in community-based learning and lead fulfilling lives after graduation. Allen also oversees five additional endowed scholarships at the college.
Allen’s first gift to the college was as a teenager, when she offered a portion of her babysitting money to support student-athletes through the Terrier Club. She continues to give quietly to support a variety of initiatives that benefit students. She and her husband, Steve, are often on the sidelines cheering on Terrier student-athletes. In 2024, she was the keynote speaker at the college’s inaugural Senior Legacy Celebration.
Allen was elected to the Wofford College Board of Trustees in June 2014 and has served as vice-chair since the 2023-24 academic year. She also led the Presidential Search Advisory Committee as co-chair, completing a successful search in March for the college’s 12th president. As a community volunteer and founding minority owner of the Carolina Panthers, Allen has engaged with complex issues of business, leadership and civic responsibility.
Christopher A.P. Carpenter ’90, Doctor of Laws
Carpenter has served 12 years on the Wofford College Board of Trustees, including the past five as chairman. His leadership and strong partnership with President Nayef Samhat have helped guide Wofford through a complex higher-education environment, bringing together college leaders and constituents around a shared vision of academic excellence, student access and unprecedented growth and stewardship of the college’s financial resources.
Carpenter has also supported numerous philanthropic initiatives at the college, including the establishment of several endowed scholarships for students, a faculty development fund and the recently created Heidi Carpenter Study Abroad Fund in honor of his mother. He also served as vice-chair of the steering committee for the For Wofford comprehensive campaign, which yielded gifts and pledges totaling more than $470 million. The campaign led to the construction of five new buildings, the renovation and improvement of several other facilities, and 189 new endowment scholarships and funds to support experiential learning.
Carpenter is a 1990 Wofford graduate and a 1994 graduate of Emory Law School. He is a longtime political and policy strategist with Cornerstone Government Affairs in Atlanta, Georgia, where he specializes in government relations and has expertise in politics, government and public affairs across the Southeast and in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Nayef H. Samhat, Doctor of Humanities and Commencement speaker
Since joining the Wofford community in 2013 as the college’s 11th president, Nayef Samhat has led the college through two strategic visioning processes that have helped transform Wofford. He spearheaded a record $470 million comprehensive fundraising campaign, and he has overseen endowment growth of over $350 million (the total is now more than $500 million). Successes during his tenure include the renovation or construction of 11 campus facilities, the reevaluation of the general education curriculum, increased engagement with the Spartanburg community, SACSCOC reaccreditation, new marketing and branding initiatives, and many other plans, programs and grants designed to build community, boost sustainability, champion the liberal arts and enhance the educational experience for students.
Nayef has been a leader in higher education, serving as president of the Annapolis Group of Liberal Arts Colleges and on the SACSCOC Board of Directors and the IES Board of Directors. Past national board service also includes leadership of the Council of Independent Colleges, the National Association of Independent Colleges and the NCAA Division I board of directors and board of governors.
Samhat is a native of Detroit, Michigan. He holds a B.A. in international affairs from The George Washington University’s School of International and Public Affairs, a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in political science from Northwestern University. Before joining the Wofford community, served as provost and professor of political science and international studies at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.
Prema Samhat, Doctor of Humanities
When Nayef became the 11th president of Wofford College, Prema committed to supporting Wofford as a full-time volunteer — hosting events, mentoring women, expanding the college’s presence in the Spartanburg community, honoring employees, developing relationships with alumni, leading groups to her native India and being an ever-present advocate for student success.
Prema grew up on a college campus. Her father (professor of English) was a college president, and her mother was a professor of education. Prema graduated from Bradford College in Massachusetts, where her mother had held a faculty position. She returned to India after college and began her career in hospitality with Oberoi Hotels and Resorts in Delhi, India. After she married Nayef and moved to the United States, she worked as a marketing specialist at Ephraim McDowell Health System in Kentucky (when Nayef was at Centre College) then as director of marketing and communications at Knox Community Hospital Foundation in Gambier, Ohio (when Nayef was at Kenyon). Together they raised three remarkable daughters — Alia, Jehan and Leila. She became a U.S. citizen in May 2014.
Prema has served on a variety of local and national nonprofit and foundation boards, including leadership with the United Way of the Piedmont, the Spartanburg Regional Foundation and the National Association of Presidential Spouses. She has represented Wofford at hundreds of community events and is a fixture walking their dog on campus and the surrounding community.
Dr. Rachel Vanderhill, Philip Covington Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Humanities and Social Sciences
Dr. Rachel Vanderhill, associate professor of international affairs, is the 20th recipient of the Philip Covington Award. She teaches a wide range of courses, including American and global economies, world politics, international conflict, and Russia and its neighbors. Her current research focuses on digital repression and digital democracy, politics of authoritarian success, authoritarian soft power, and the politics, economics and foreign policy of Central Asia. She’s held various prestigious fellowships and loves helping students find similar opportunities.
The award is named for a beloved, long-time professor and academic dean. It carries with it an award, allocated over a decade, designed specifically to provide further opportunities for professional development.
Dr. Lori Cruze, Roger Milliken Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Science
Dr. Lori Cruze, associate professor of biology, is the 22nd recipient of the Roger Milliken Award. Cruze is a leader in student-faculty research through her long-term study on the productivity and survivorship of eastern bluebirds in the Upstate, which she launched in 2022. She has won other awards for her teaching and programs, including the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Excellence in Teaching Award and the IES Abroad Faculty-Led Program Award for her Interim trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.
The award was created by the late Roger Milliken to reward outstanding teaching in STEM fields. The recipient receives an award, allocated over a decade, designed to provide opportunities for professional development.
Sunni La’Naye Owens, Mary Mildred Sullivan Award, student
Youssef Ehab “Joe” Khalil, Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, student
Owens is a biology major with education and sociology and anthropology minors from Charleston, South Carolina. She served as a program manager in Wofford’s community sustainability program and was a member of the Northside Living-Learning Community. She will pursue a Master of Arts in Teaching at Converse University after graduation.
Khalil is an international affairs and Spanish double major from Boiling Springs, South Carolina. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and interned in Washington, D.C., through the Fund for American Studies. During his senior year, he organized and completed a 50-mile run to raise money and awareness for Miracle Hill Ministries and the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen.
They have both led by example in the Wofford community, and they honor the college and the Sullivans by accepting these awards.
Stacy McBride, Mary Mildred Sullivan Award, non-student
Dr. James Bearden, Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, non-student
McBride is a community volunteer who prefers to work behind the scenes. She has contributed leadership and service to an array of nonprofit organizations in the Spartanburg community, including service on the boards of the Charles Lea Foundation, the YMCA Association, the Spartanburg Art Museum and more. Bearden has changed the face of cancer care in South Carolina. He founded Palmetto Hematology Oncology and helped establish Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute. Bearden has served as president of the South Carolina Oncology Society and led initiatives to support statewide cancer trials for all citizens.