Lee University conferred more than 250 degrees this past weekend during its winter commencement ceremony. Graduates, faculty, family, and friends filled the festively decorated Conn Center for the event where speaker Dr. David E. Ramirez addressed attendees.

During his commencement address, Ramirez encouraged graduates to “go and be meek.” Alluding to the sermon on the mount, Ramirez said that the graduates will need meekness to go out and bring the transformation that the world needs. He reminded them that meekness i s about self control, and that those with that quality are promised to “inherit the earth.”

Ramirez serves as an assistant general overseer for the Church of God and the Division of Education’s executive director. Born in Argentina and holding dual citizenship in Chile and the United States, he is a recognized international speaker, writer, and professor on Christian global leadership, narrative preaching, church planting, and practical theology.

He has served as the Church of God world missions director for Latin America, the director for South America, and the administrative bishop for the southwest Hispanic region, U.S. Ramirez also established the South American Seminary (SEMISUD), served as its president for 20 years, and oversaw its establishment in Quito, Ecuador, where he was also founding pastor of the 900-member Capilla del Valle Church.

Of the degrees conferred during the commencement cere monies, 33 were for graduate studies, including the university’s first five doctoral graduates, who all earned their Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. The winter commencement event is one of three graduation weekends at Lee each year, the other two being in May and August.

Saturday’s ceremony was preceded by a pinning ceremony for nursing grads; a hooding ceremony for recipients of master’s degrees, education specialist degrees, and the DNP degrees; and the Commissioning Service on Friday, which featured several graduating participants including five student speakers sharing their Lee experience.

To view the events, visit leeu.live.

For more information about commencement exercises, please contact the Academic Events Office at [email protected], (423) 614-8117, or visit the website at here.