Durbin to speak at commencement May 22

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, will deliver the address at the 162nd Commencement Convocation at Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø on Sunday, May 22.

The Commencement Convocation will take place at 2 p.m. on May 22 at the TaxSlayer Center, 1201 River Drive, Moline, Ill. Doors will open at noon for those who need accessible seating. Doors will open to the public at 12:15 p.m.

Sen. Durbin is the fourth Illinois senator to speak at an Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø commencement in recent years, following Adlai E. Stevenson, Alan Dixon and Mark Kirk.

Sen. Durbin currently serves as the Democratic whip, the second-highest ranking position in the Senate for the Democratic Caucus. He has been elected to this leadership post by his Democratic colleagues every two years since 2005. He is the fifth Illinois senator in history to serve as a Senate leader.

No stranger to Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø¡¯s campus, Sen. Durbin has spoken to students on various topics, including legislation dealing with education debt, in recent years. Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø students have served as legislative interns in his Washington, D.C., office.

Sen. Durbin, Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø President Steve Bahls and Dr. Millicent Knight each will receive an honorary degree at the ceremony.

President Bahls will be honored in recognition of his retirement effective June 30. During his presidency, the Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø and Quad-Cities communities benefited from his passion for the liberal arts, his natural gifts as a collaborator and his drive for innovation. His 19-year tenure at Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø is nearly three times longer than the average for college presidents.

Dr. Knight, senior vice president of the eye care company Essilor of America in Dallas, was the commencement speaker for Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø¡¯s 2020 virtual ceremony. She is a 1982 Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø graduate and a member of the college¡¯s board of trustees.

The ceremony will be live-streamed and archived on the college¡¯s YouTube channel.

Baccalaureate

Earlier on Commencement Sunday, the Rev. Melinda Pupillo, campus chaplain and director of spiritual development, will deliver the sermon at Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø¡¯s baccalaureate service. The service will take place at 10 a.m. in Centennial Hall, 3703 7th Ave., Rock Island.