Ursuline College to hold in-person graduation

Speaker to be Maple Heights mayor

Ursuline College announced it will host an in-person, outdoor graduation ceremony and Maple Heights Mayor Annette Blackwell will be the commencement speaker.

The ceremony is set for May 14 at 10 a.m. at Classic Park in Eastlake, according to a news release.

Blackwell, a 2019 Ursuline graduate, had agreed to speak at the 2020 ceremony, but it was postponed due to the pandemic. This year’s ceremony is open to both 2020 and 2021 graduates.

“It is an extremely high honor to receive the invitation to be the college’s commencement speaker and very personal,” Blackwell said last year. “While at Ursuline, I was able to complete my degree in a nurturing, warm, supportive, special and forgiving environment. For the first time during my times in college, I always felt motivated, certain, inspired, focused and invincible.”

Ursuline President Sister Christine De Vinne said she is grateful that Blackwell has agreed again to speak.

“We were looking forward to having Mayor Blackwell address our graduates and their families last year and we are very grateful that she has agreed to speak this year,” De Vinne said in the release. “As I have said, Mayor Blackwell represents the best of Ursuline College, with her commitment to professionalism, civic engagement, and servant leadership.

“I know her words will inspire our 2020 graduates as well as our soon-to-be 2021 graduates.”

Blackwell earned a bachelor of arts degree in public relations and corporate communications at Ursuline. Upon graduation, she received Ursuline’s Sister Diana Stano Award for Excellence in Academics, Leadership and Service.

Ursuline College is an accredited liberal arts college in Pepper Pike.