Legacy and diversity were the major themes heralded during the Founder’s Day Ceremony at Bradley University Fri.
The annual event celebrates the revolutionary contributions of the school’s founder and namesake, Lydia Moss Bradley, in the year of her 200th birthday.
This year's commemoration was Gary Roberts’ first time as university president. He told the crowd seated at the Dingledine Music Center auditorium that Bradley’s best days are still ahead. Roberts cited higher enrollment and increased diversity in this year’s freshman class.
“As you can see, we have set some lofty goals and we are reaching them. This is a good time for Bradley University,” Roberts said.
Roberts says 27 percent of this year’s freshman class is considered “ethnically diverse,” compared to 19 percent last year.
The three inductees into the Centurion Society reflect the broad base of alums working to improve their communities locally, and internationally. The university’s highest distinction is given to alumni who have become national or international leaders in their professions and public life.
Andrea Parker, the Executive Director of Holt Center for Healthy Living, is one of this year’s Centurions for her work in public health. Parker didn’t choose to go to Bradley. Parker says she received free tuition through her employer.
“I later learned that Bradley was the reason for my accomplishments and things that I’ve done throughout my life,” Parker siad.
The other Centurion Society inductees were Michael Scimo, a retired global managing director for Accenture, and David Brant, managing director for BDO and former special agent for Naval Criminal Intelligence Services, or NCIS. Scimo launched career readiness programs for low-income individuals and veterans. Brant developed numerous counterintelligence operations post 9/11 -- and he also appeared in an episode of the tv series NCIS.