April 8, 2012 (Chattanooga) - Belhaven University’s newest campus in Chattanooga honored its graduating students at their first commencement ceremony.

Virginia M. Garrison, Director of Student Services, said, “The first Belhaven University Chattanooga commencement ceremony was a worshipful celebration of the educational achievements of our graduates. It was wonderful to share this joyful inaugural event with them and their families.”

Students, most of them working adults, went through the adult studies programs at Belhaven University Chattanooga and received their diplomas at commencement on May 4, 2012 at First Presbyterian Church.

The commencement speaker for Belhaven Chattanooga’s graduation ceremony was Dr. Niel Nielson, President of Covenant College. In July 2002, Dr. Nielson became the fifth president of Covenant College, a Christian liberal arts college on Lookout Mountain, GA.

In his address, Dr. Niel Nielson advised the graduates to heed the calling for their lives, as led by God. He emphasized that every day students have many smaller callings, prompted by God, that are just as important.

Congratulations to the following Belhaven University Chattanooga first graduating class:

Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management
Cynthia Lynn Carden
Ray Liddell Carter
Carolyn Briana Cooley-English
Jennifer Crisp
Deborah B. DubIe
Annette Evans
Phillip Dean Guffey
Caryn Lynn Hulett
Betty Jackson
Jonathan Robert King
Matthew Joseph Kos
Venus Damiece Mathews
Debra K. Moore
Angela oBryan-Williams
Jonathan St. Hilaire
Scott D. Wells
Michelle White
Yvette Lorraine Wing

Bachelor of Healthcare Administration
Tinisha Renee Wordlaw

Belhaven stands among the select Christian colleges and universities that offer a unique general core curriculum encouraging the development of a personal worldview. The university believes a Christian worldview is a key to preparing men and women academically and spiritually to serve Christ Jesus in their careers, in human relationships, and in the world of ideas.

Founded in 1883, Belhaven University now serves over 3,000 students from campuses in Jackson, Memphis, Orlando, Houston, Chattanooga, Atlanta and online, offering traditional undergraduate degrees, graduate and adult degree programs, and online degree programs.