About 1,600 students participated in VCU's fall commencement - NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News

VCU's latest class of graduates are ready to enter the workforce following fall commencement Saturday at the Siegel Center.

The commencement speaker was Thomas G. Snead, Jr., a VCU alumnus and a member of the Virginia Commonwealth University Board of Visitors since 2004.

Snead has a long history of community service and is a longtime supporter of VCU. In 2007, the Board of Visitors named the new School of Business building in honor of Snead and his wife, Vicki M. Snead, who served as co-chairs of the Campaign for VCU, an effort that raised $410 million. On Saturday, he received an honorary doctor of humane letters.

Students received professional, graduate and undergraduate degrees at the ceremony at the VCU Siegel Center and about 3,000 degrees were conferred.

VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., called on graduates to use their VCU education to become leaders in their fields of study and to help other people.

"That is your highest and best calling," Rao said. "Through education, we develop our greatest abilities. Through our greatest abilities, we achieve what was once believed impossible.  Through our achievements, we create opportunities where they never existed." 

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