Freeman awards more than 700 diplomas at graduation ceremonies
Over the course of two days and two pomp-and-circumstance-filled ceremonies, Tulane University's A. B. Freeman School of Business awarded more than 700 diplomas at its 2017 graduation ceremonies, representing over a quarter of all degrees awarded this year by Tulane University.
This year's Graduate Diploma Ceremony took place on Friday, May 19, in the Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse on Tulane's uptown campus. The ceremony featured the awarding of diplomas to graduates of the Freeman School's master's and doctoral programs, including the Master of Accounting, the Master of Business Administration, the Master of Finance, the Master of Global Management, the Master of Management, the Master of Management in Energy and the Doctor of Philosophy. More than 300 graduating students participated in the ceremony, which kicked off with a traditional second-line into the fieldhouse led by the Uptown Strutters Brass Band and ended with a second-line out to the Lavin-Bernick Center for the annual champagne reception for graduates and their families.
Alexander Glen Moore (MBA '17) and Rachel Lauren Rollins (MBA '16) received the Marta and Peter Bordeaux Scholastic Achievement Award, which recognizes the graduating MBA with the highest cumulative grade point average. Moore also received the Roger L. Cornelius Award, which recognizes the graduating MBA who embodies the highest standards of business scholarship and leadership. Ryan Farrell Hogan (MBA '17) and Ann Marshall Tilton (MBA '17) received the Tulane 34 Award, which is presented to 34 graduates from across Tulane who have demonstrated exemplary leadership, service and academic excellence. Debra Lynn McHaney (MBA '17) and Tania Mahato Zachari (MBA '17) received the Allen R. Vorholt Memorial Award, which honors graduates of the executive MBA program who demonstrate leadership, scholarship, the ability to balance priorities and a strong sense of civic obligation.
The Undergraduate Diploma Ceremony took place on Saturday, May 20, in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome following Tulane University's Unified Commencement Ceremony. Nearly 400 graduating seniors participated in the ceremony.
Marshall Spencer Wadleigh (BSM '17) and Amanda Morgan Whitman (BSM/MACCT '17) received the BSM Scholastic Achievement Award, which recognizes the graduating Bachelor of Science in Management student with the highest cumulative grade point average, and Sabrina Martine Somers (BSM/MACCT '17) received the Evelyn and William Burkenroad Award, which is chosen by the senior class on the basis of scholarship, integrity, amiability, and contributions to the professional, social, and academic quality of the business program. In addition, Wadleigh and three other graduates received the Tulane 34 Award: Brigid Ann Doherty (BSM '17), Nida Sharif Farhoud (BSM '17, PHTM '17) and Nicole Brittany Rieu (BSM '17).
"To each of our graduates, I extend the heartfelt appreciation of the Freeman School, Tulane University and the city of New Orleans," said Freeman School Dean Ira Solomon. "You recognized the value of the education this institution and this city could provide, and you chose to accept the attendant challenges and opportunities. It is an honor to be with you on this special day, a day after which you will join the distinguished body of men and women who are the alumni of Tulane University and the Freeman School of Business."
