Last Wesley graduates honored: Final two classes receive diplomas as DSU takes over college

By Matt Bittle
Posted 5/15/21

DOVER — Graduations are normally an occasion to celebrate, a time to recognize the years of hard work put in by students and to wish them luck in whatever is next. For the hundreds of new …

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Last Wesley graduates honored: Final two classes receive diplomas as DSU takes over college

Posted

DOVER — Graduations are normally an occasion to celebrate, a time to recognize the years of hard work put in by students and to wish them luck in whatever is next. For the hundreds of new graduates, alumni, parents, officials and others present at Wesley College’s commencement Saturday, it was an exciting and joyful day — but also a bittersweet one.

Founded in 1873, Wesley has been an integral component of Dover’s fabric for generations, with proud degree-holding members of the Wolverine family helping shape the community. Graduates were indeed the center of attention Saturday, but in some ways, the commencement was like no other held by the school before.

Wesley, which has been facing serious financial difficulties for years, is set to be absorbed by Delaware State University within the next six weeks. The liberal arts college’s memory will live on in the form of its 50-acre campus and DSU’s College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, which is being renamed the Wesley College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, but an independent Wesley will be a thing of the past.

With that cloud looming overhead, school officials and others fêted Wesley’s newest alumni on a sunny spring day at Drass Field at Scott D. Miller Stadium during a ceremony that looked both to the past and the future. Because coronavirus prevented the college from holding an in-person ceremony last spring, Saturday’s convocation included the classes of 2020 and 2021.

“In many ways, today is a very sad day, as we wrestle with the realization that there will be no more graduation days at Wesley College,” said state Sen. Colin Bonini, a Dover Republican and 1992 alumnus. “But it’s also a day of great beginnings.”

Sen. Bonini, who had to pause multiple times to compose himself as he reflected on what is next for Wesley, spoke of how the school shaped his future, promising graduates they leave fully prepared to move on to the next stages of their lives.

Wesley President Robert Clark praised the students for their resiliency, noting they were challenged not just by COVID-19 but also by uncertainty over Wesley’s future and by the social unrest that has intensified over the past year. Members of the most recent graduating classes “had to face more adversity in the last few years than many will face in a lifetime,” he said.

“Yet with all the potential to give in, give up to the hopelessness and negativity that was being placed before you, you chose to persist. You chose not to give up,” he told the audience. “You chose to press on and be an example to everyone that had the privilege to see your spirit and experience your will. You bettered yourselves and those around you.”

Stephanie Smith Christiano, a 1998 graduate, recalled her formative years at Wesley, explaining how it set her on the path she has walked since.

“You will face many obstacles in life. I promise you that life never goes according to plan,” she said, noting the graduates have already proven their ability to overcome change and uncertainty.

Laura Mayse, a 1992 alumna, told the new graduates that although Wesley College is being transformed, the bonds connecting them will endure.

“We will forever stay connected as alumni of our college and we will continue to celebrate our history and legacy for years to come,” she said, summing up what was undoubtedly felt by many of the attendees Saturday.

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