University of Illinois Springfield commencement has no shortage of meaning for many

For the 650 students who walked across the stage at the BOS Center Saturday to receive a diploma from the University of Illinois Springfield, graduation day had no shortage of anticipation and meaning.

However, for one graduate in particular, the day had more than its fair share of meaning for him and his family. Anthony Giordano received a bachelor's degree in accounting and business administration, with a minor in finance. While he has only completed two years at UIS – with more to come through the Graduate Public Service Internship Program – his life and that of his family is intertwined with the university.

Giordano's grandfather is Cullom Davis, one of the original faculty members of what was then known as Sangamon State University. A history professor and scholar of Abraham Lincoln, Davis has had a profound influence on his grandson and his educational path.

"He was very ambitious to create a university that would have all these opportunities for students to achieve their graduate education," Giordano said. "Having him as my grandfather allowed me to be more connected with the people there. That made me see how much potential UIS had for students wanting to consider going here instead of going to the main campus (in Champaign-Urbana)."

There was already plenty of significance for the ceremony itself prior to Saturday; it would be the first time since 2019 that the school held a traditional graduation ceremony. The 2020 ceremony was canceled because of rthe COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 ceremony was held in small, individualized blocks instead of a full event.

Interim Chancellor Karen Whitney presided over the 2021 ceremonies which were affected by the still-raging pandemic at the time. On Saturday, she oversaw the event, her last as the head of the school before Janet Gooch takes over on June 30. She said her goal in the two years that she served was to make sure that the university's goals and mission didn't change despite a changing world.

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"Our mission and vision at UIS never changed," Whitney said. "How we served that mission (and) how we did our jobs changed tremendously. Everything on how we taught, how students did their internships, how they did their work with each other (and) how we did services and programs changed tremendously during the pandemic."

For her final task as chancellor, she had the chance to preside over a normal ceremony, which she felt confident that the university could pull off, with high vaccination numbers and a commitment to making sure that the schoo could function as safely as possible.

"We have had a very low incidence of COVID in our university community," Whitney said. "That gave us confidence to take back this moment and offer our graduates the commencement we want to give them and they want from us."

The ceremonies allowed the spotlight to be shown on students who have come from all corners of the world to receive a UIS education. The journey for Antone Evans Jr. led him from Nassau, Bahamas, to Springfield in order to receive a master's degree in computer science.

Evans was the commencement speaker for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and said that he wanted to send the message that the education provided by UIS, whether it was a bachelor's, master's or any other kind of degree, would provide the key for students to achieve their goals in life.

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"Whether you're going to take a year off, if you start a great job on Monday or if you're going to continue at school, you have done everything you need to do and you have everything within you to achieve your wildest dreams," Evans said. "Continue chasing it (and) continue persevering. We came through a pandemic, so anything is possible. Just keep your head up."

For some students, it would be a goodbye to Springfield and to UIS. That sentiment was shared by some distinguished faculty at the ceremonies; among them, Heather Dell, who plans to retire after 22 years as a gender studies professor. She said that being honored on this special day showed an appreciation for all that she's provided to the university and to students for over two decades.

"It is a vote of confidence in what I've represented on campus, which is diversity education," Dell said.

Contact Zach Roth: (217) 899-4338; ZDRoth@gannett.com; @ZacharyRoth13

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: UIS commencement ceremony returns to normalcy in Springfield IL