ECU graduates more than 5,200 during spring commencement exercises
Actor Emily Procter turned the spotlight on more than 5,200 East Carolina University graduates on Friday.
The ECU alumna and North Carolina native encouraged the students to persevere through challenges because they are going out into a world full of opportunities.
“There is a lot of failure in success,” Procter said. “As you sit here at the pinnacle of one mountain, you will soon be at the base of another. If there’s failure, don’t worry. No one remembers the failures but you. They only remember the successes.”
ECU graduates celebrate with a fireworks finale at 2019 spring commencement ceremonies held May 3 in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville. (ECU Photos by Cliff Hollis and Rhett Butler)
During the university’s 110th spring commencement ceremony, officials awarded 4,074 undergraduate and 1,081 graduate degrees, including 131 doctoral degrees. In addition, 50 dental and 72 medical degrees were awarded.
Chancellor Cecil Staton – in his final commencement address – congratulated the graduates on their accomplishment and encouraged them to make a difference.
“All of us at ECU want you to know that we believe in you,” Staton said. “We have witnessed your potential. Now go out and make your mark on the world.”
During a moment of silence, Staton remembered six ECU students who died during the school year, as well as two UNC-Charlotte students who were killed and others injured in a shooting earlier this week.
Actor Emily Procter, ECU ’91, told the new graduates that “excellence is not a point of destination; it is a habit. There’s no right or wrong way to go through life but it is possible to achieve anything if you take steps forward on a daily basis.”
In his introduction of the keynote speaker, Staton said Procter began her journey in front of the camera as a student at ECU and as a weekend weather anchor at WNCT in Greenville.
Originally from Raleigh, Procter earned her bachelor’s degree in communication from ECU in 1991. Following her graduation, Procter moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting which included two seasons as Ainsley Hayes on “The West Wing” and 10 seasons as Detective Calleigh Duquesne on “CSI: Miami.”
She shared stories of her time at ECU and remembered a favorite dance professor, Joe Carow.
“ECU taught me about resiliency and belief that people can be what they decide to be,” Procter said. “And it has nothing to do with what kind of student you are. It has to do with what kind of person you are.”
In closing, she asked the graduates to be intentional. “If one drop of water ripples out wide, can you imagine what a boatload of Pirates can do?” Procter said.
Joining Staton in greeting the graduates were Jordan Koonts, SGA president; Dr. Jeff Popke, chair of the faculty; Vern Davenport, vice chair of the ECU Board of Trustees; and David Powers of the UNC Board of Governors, who presented the BOG’s 2019 Award for Excellence in Teaching to Dr. David Wilson-Okamura, professor of English in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences.
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