More than 2,200 Pirates entered Minges Coliseum on Friday morning as students and left as graduates. College of Business alumnus J. Fielding Miller '84 told East Carolina's newest alumni to "be very purposeful about what you read, listen to and who you hang out with" as they enter the next phase of their lives.
Miller is co-founder, chairman and CEO of CAPTRUST Financial Advisors. He led Raleigh-based CAPTRUST from an entrepreneurial startup in 1997 to one of the largest independent investment advisory firms in the country.
“What goes in your mind comes out in your life,” Miller said. “The diploma you earn is a ticket to the game. That’s it. Everything resets.”
He encouraged students to focus on their EQ, or emotional quotient, which guides “the sense of self and impact on others, and the ability to communicate with people from all walks of life.” A strong EQ can help in decision-making, overcoming obstacles, managing conflict and ultimately lead to a happier workplace and life.
“If you want to rise to the top of your profession, your EQ rather than your IQ is the most important,” Miller said. “EQ is something you can develop. A high IQ is an advantage to a point but it’s not going to take you to the top.”
Chancellor Cecil Staton told the graduates, "When we leave here today, it will be your chance to go out and make your mark on the world."
graduate spotlight
A faculty member from the ECU College of Nursing was the first graduate of its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)-to-PhD program. Dr. Candace Harrington, a clinical professor in her seventh year on faculty at ECU, is also a project coordinator for the Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program, a grant through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Harrington’s dissertation research centered on whether the use of virtual dementia tours intended to help caregivers empathize with loved ones suffering from dementia altered the way they provide care.
“There were no studies that I could find that this had been done,” Harrington said. “Family members think they know what’s going on with their family member who has dementia. What this program showed them is that they didn’t have a clue as to what they were thinking and feeling. It really put them in a family member’s shoes.” Her research showed that caregivers had, in fact, made changes as a result of their changed perspective following the simulation.
“They all made changes in how they provided care,” she said. “Those who had done it years before had maintained those changes, which is unbelievable.” Harrington said she’ll continue her research in the field, with next steps including following up on caregiver outcomes.
“What we consistently find is that caregivers’ mental, emotional and physical health suffers because of their caregiving duties,” she said. “Research shows that 50 percent of caregivers unintentionally mistreat family members because of that stress and strain. So I want to change that.”
proud pirate families
Proud parents Karen and Jose Carlos of Jacksonville, whose son Devin earned a bachelor’s degree in math and computer science, said they were thankful he transferred to ECU. “It’s a great university,” Karen said. Jose said Devin’s graduation is significant because “he’s the first male in my family to do this.”
The day brought double excitement for the Moss family of Rougemont. Stephanie Halpin Moss earned a master’s in adult education while her daughter, C. Hayes Moss, graduated with a bachelor’s in construction management.
“We’re a proud ECU family,” she said. Her husband, Paul, received his degree 32 years ago. Their daughter, Hannah, graduated four years ago and a son, Stephen, will be at ECU in 2019.
“I needed a degree from ECU too,” said Stephanie, who works in academic affairs at the Duke University medical school. Her coursework was all online. “It was an incredible program.”
Leanna Perry of Trenton spent two or three hours on Thursday decorating her cap for the event. It featured gold sparkles with an eyeshadow tray, brush and the phrase “I just winged it,” all a nod to her makeup artist skills – which she would like to make a career one day.
Perry, a communication major with a concentration in interpersonal/organizational communication, said many of her teachers growing up were ECU alumni. “The school pride is unmatched,” she said. Perry celebrated with her mother, father, brother and twin sister. “It feels good today.”
POLITICAL SCIENCE GRADUATES FIRST COHORT
This December, 12 working professionals from North Carolina are earning their Master of Public Administration degrees through Harriot College’s Department of Political Science. The students are completing the program as a cohort, the first time the department has undertaken such an endeavor.
“I have built many lifelong friendships through this program, as well as professional networks that will be beneficial in years to come,” said Amanda James, lab supervisor for the Rocky Mount wastewater treatment plant, who has dedicated more than 20 years of her working career to the area.
“Due to the nature of the program, collaboration and teamwork were required to be successful. We all had to lean on each other at one time or another. We experienced the successes and losses together; inspiring each other to continue to push forward and complete what we started,” she said.
Mike Phillips, who had been working in the public sector for nine years before deciding to pursue the degree, said, “I wanted to keep advancing my career and an MPA seemed like the best way to do that. I changed jobs about a year ago and working on this degree gave me the confidence to do that. Now that I’m at the end and about to graduate, I can already see the potential of other opportunities just around the corner.”
Each semester, beginning in summer 2016, the students took one online course taught by Dr. Wendy Creasey, director of academic technologies, and attended one direct-contact class held on Saturdays at the Gateway Convention Center in Rocky Mount, taught by Dr. Carmine Scavo, director of the MPA program.
“It has been a great pleasure working with this group,” Scavo said. “Along with their fine academic backgrounds, they brought a wealth of administrative and life experience to the program. It will be interesting to see if later cohorts can measure up to the standard that this one has set.”
Along with James and Phillips, this fall’s MPA graduates include:
- Betty Battle, deputy director, Edgecombe County Department of Social Services
- Nikki Blanton, Women, Infants and Children program supervisor, Nash County Health Department
- Kelly Lasky, director of planning, City of Roanoke Rapids
- Kimberly Mack, executive assistant to the president, Halifax Community College
- Melanie Manning, purchasing agent/tax collector, Town of Nashville
- Emily Moore, cardiopulmonary care, Nash Health Care
- Aaron Sammons, human resources specialist, OIC of Rocky Mount
- Ellen Thomas-Pullen, program consultant, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services
- Michael Tolson, owner, MGA Engineering, Rocky Mount
- Scott Young, special agent, N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement.
Credits:
Story by Crystal Baity, Jules Norwood, Natalie Sayewich and Lacey L. Gray | Photos by Cliff Hollis and Rhett Butler | Video by Reed Wolfley