Beneath gray spring skies and the stirring sound of bagpipes echoing across Vance Plaza, graduates of Presbyterian College (PC) crossed the stage Saturday morning as members of the college’s 143rd graduating class — a class repeatedly praised for rebuilding community through challenge, uncertainty and change.
The College of Arts and Sciences commencement ceremony on May 9 blended longstanding Presbyterian College traditions with deeply personal reflections on perseverance, service and the courage required to create meaningful lives.
From the ringing of the historic bell by Class of 2026 president Lyle Jones to the skirl of the Aiken Sheriff’s Pipes and Drums leading the academic processional, the ceremony emphasized continuity between generations of Blue Hose while celebrating students whose college years began during the lingering disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic…