Exercises Scheduled for Sunday, May 13, at 1:30 p.m.
WILSON, N.C. — Robert A. Ingram, retired chairman and CEO of GlaxoSmithKline and a general partner in Hatteras Venture Partners, will be the featured speaker at the 110th annual commencement exercises of Barton College scheduled for Sunday, May 13, on center campus at 1:30 p.m. Wilson Gymnasium is the rain site. Dr. Norval C. Kneten will preside over his ninth commencement program as president of Barton College. Dr. John P. Marsden, provost and vice president for academic affairs, will present the graduating class of approximately 220 seniors.
Participating in this year’s commencement ceremony will be students who completed their baccalaureate degree requirements in December 2011 and May 2012, as well as candidates who expect to fulfill requirements over the summer.
The three highest honors presented to Barton students: the Coggins Cup, the Hilley Cup, and the Hemby Leadership Cup, will be awarded. The Coggins Cup is presented annually to the student voted best all-around by the Barton faculty and staff. The Hilley Cup is presented annually to the graduating senior with the highest cumulative grade point average. The Hemby Leadership Cup is presented to the graduating senior, who in the estimation of the college community (including students, faculty and staff) has demonstrated outstanding leadership throughout a career at Barton College.
The Jefferson-Pilot Faculty Member of the Year awards will also be presented. The awards, given annually to two faculty members, include a cash stipend for international study.
Whit Coolbaugh, class of 2002, president of the Barton College Alumni Association and its Alumni Board, will bring greetings to graduating seniors on behalf of the Alumni Association.
Barton’s Commencement Day program will begin with the baccalaureate service Sunday morning at 11 a.m. in Howard Chapel. The Reverend Hollie E. Woodruff, chaplain of the college, will officiate at the service and deliver the baccalaureate sermon.
Lunch will be served in the Hamlin Student Center Dining Hall from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. at no charge for seniors and $5.00 each for family members and guests.
The Commencement festivities will include a luncheon for seniors and their families on Saturday morning, May 12, at 11:30 a.m., hosted by Dr. and Mrs. Norval C. Kneten at the Barton-Graves House.
The pinning ceremony for the graduates of the School of Nursing will be held in Howard Chapel on the Barton College campus on Friday, May 11, at 7 p.m., followed by a reception in Hardy Alumni Hall for nursing graduates, their families, and friends.
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About the speaker —
Retired chairman and CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, Robert A. Ingram currently is a general partner in the firm Hatteras Venture Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in early stage life science companies in the southeast United States. He also currently serves as Chairman of Elan Corporation plc. and as Lead Director of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, and Cree, Inc. Ingram is a member of the Board of Directors of Allergan Inc. and Edwards Lifesciences Corporation.
Ingram began his career in the pharmaceutical industry as a professional sales representative and rose through a series of roles with increasing responsibility to ultimately become CEO/Chairman of GlaxoWellcome. Ingram co-led the merger and integration that formed GlaxoSmithKline, the world’s second largest pharmaceutical company. Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60, Ingram was asked by the Board to serve as Vice Chairman Pharmaceuticals, GSK, which he did until January 1, 2010, at which time he became Strategic Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, GlaxoSmithKline plc.
In addition to his professional responsibilities, Ingram was asked by former United States President George H.W. Bush to form and chair the CEO Roundtable on Cancer. He is a member of numerous other civic and professional organizations. In January 2004, Ingram was awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr., Legacy Award for International Service. On July 27, 2006, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Advisory Board.
Ingram is a member of the Boards for the James B. Hunt Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, CEO Roundtable on Cancer, Research Triangle Institute and Chairman, GlaxoSmithKline Foundation. He serves as Chairman of Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina and is on the Advisory Board, Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, University of Southern California.
He graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.
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Questions? Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.