Friday, February 1, 2008

Bishop Eddie Long and Attorney Willie Gary are the Keynote Speakers for the 2008 Spring Commencement

Florida A&M University has scheduled the 2008 Spring Commencement for April 27, 2008. The Schools and Colleges graduating at 9 a.m., where Bishop Eddie Long will be the keynote speaker, are:

- College of Arts & Sciences
- College of Education
- School of Architecture
- School of Journalism and Graphic Communication (SJGC)
- Environmental Sciences Institute

The line of march will commence at 8:40 a.m. and doors will open for the public at 8 a.m.

The Schools and Colleges graduating at 2 p.m., where Attorney Willie Gary will be the speaker include:

- College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (COPPS)
- FAMU/FSU College of Engineering
- College of Law
- College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture (CESTA)
- School of Business & Industry (SBI)
- School of Allied Health Sciences
- School of Nursing

The line of march will commence at 1:40 p.m. and doors will open for the public at 1 p.m.

About Bishop Eddie Long

A native of North Carolina, Bishop Eddie L. Long received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from North Carolina Central University and a master’s of divinity degree from Atlanta’s Interdenominational Theological Center. Additionally, Long received honorary doctorates from North Carolina Central University, Beulah Heights Bible College of Atlanta and the Morehouse School of Religion. Bishop Long earned a Ph.D. in pastoral ministry from the International College of Excellence, an affiliate of Life Christian University in Tampa, Fla.

The visionary and leader for New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Bishop Long first served as pastor in 1987 for a congregation consisting of just more than 300 members. Since his installation, New Birth’s membership has quickly multiplied to well over 25,000.

Bishop Long is revered locally, nationally and internationally as a dynamic man of vision, leadership, integrity and compassion. In addition to his commitment to New Birth Missionary Baptist Church as senior pastor, Bishop Long also serves on an array of boards including: vice chair of the Morehouse School of Religion Board of Directors, former member of Board of Visitors for Emory University, member of Board of Trustees for North Carolina Central University, member of Board of Trustees for Young Life, member of Board of Trustees for Fort Valley State University, member of Board of Directors for Safehouse Outreach Ministries, and honorary member of 100 Black Men of America. In 2006, he was honored to be unanimously appointed to serve as co-chair for the DeKalb Police Alliance—a non-profit organization that enhances the lives and families of men and women serving as licensed officers. In 2006, Bishop Long was unanimously appointed as vice chair for the Board of Trustees for Beulah Heights Bible College. In 2007, he was appointed as chairman of the Board of Trustees for Beulah Heights, which would obtain university status that same year.

About Attorney Willie Gary

Once a migrant worker, Gary has overcome a lifetime of obstacles to become one of the most successful trial attorneys in the nation. In addition, he is the chairman of the Black Family Channel, the nation’s only African American owned and operated 24-hour cable TV network. Gary, who is best known in legal circles as “The Giant Killer,” is noted for taking on some of America’s most powerful corporate giants and winning billions of dollars in verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients.

One of 11 children of Turner and Mary Gary, he was born July 12, 1947, in Eastman, Ga., and raised in migrant farming communities in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. His unwavering desire to earn a college education ultimately led him to Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. After earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Gary went to North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina where he earned a juris doctorate in 1974.

Gary is known as a businessman, churchman, humanitarian and philanthropist who is deeply involved in charity and civic work. He is committed to enhancing the lives of young people through education and drug prevention. Gary is a member of numerous business associations including the National Bar Association, the American Bar Association, American Trial Lawyers Association, Florida Academy of Trial Lawyers Association, Martin and St. Lucie County Bar Associations and the Million Dollar Verdict Club.

In 1994, he and his wife, Gloria Gary, founded The Gary Foundation, which provides college scholarships, direction and resources to students so they may realize their dreams of achieving a higher education. The Gary’s have donated millions of dollars to help historically black colleges and universities – including $10 million to his alma mater Shaw University.

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