Fall Graduation Dec.1
ASU's 'in-person' graduation is Dec. 1:
Valiant Cross Academy Co-founder & ASU Alumnus, Anthony Brock, to Deliver Fall 2023 Commencement Address
By Kenneth Mullinax/ASU
Alabama State University’s 2023 Fall Commencement Convocation is set for Friday, December 1, at ASU's Dunn-Oliver Acadome. Two separate, in-person ceremonies will be held on the same day -- the first at 8:45 a.m. and the second at 1:45 p.m.
The keynote speaker for both ceremonies will be ASU alumnus, Anthony Brock (class of 1999), co-founder of the nationally acclaimed Valiant Cross Academy (VCA).
"At the suggestion of President Quinton T. Ross, Jr., I reached out to Mr. Brock to ask if he would give us the honor of speaking at the Fall 2023 Commencement Convocation," said Dr. Carl S. Pettis, ASU’s provost and vice president of Academic Affairs. "We were elated that he accepted. Mr. Brock is an accomplished educator, author, visionary, and more. We are sure that he will offer words of wisdom and inspiration to ASU's class of 2023."
Brock explained that he is excited and honored to be the keynote speaker.
"Speaking at ASU's graduation is an important honor to me in that it is the very educational foundation that set me on the career path to live out God's given purpose to me, that is being an educator, which is the great equalizer for anyone in life," Brock said, from his office at Valiant Cross. "Speaking at ASU is like a family affair for me since multiple generations of my family graduated from it and the University contributed to them in being both thriving and successful in life. ASU has been and is invaluable to me, and I thank ASU President Ross for allowing me the privilege and honor to speak at commencement."
ABOUT COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER BROCK
The commencement ceremony speaker, Anthony Brock, is a native of Montgomery, Ala., and a graduate of Alabama State University with two degrees: a Bachelor's degree in Health Education and a Master's in Educational Administration. He is a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He is the co-founder with his brother Fred, and head of school at Valiant Cross Academy. Since opening in 2015, VCA has been showcased by a myriad of national, state and local news media and various public and private organizations.
Brock had an extensive educational career background before co-founding VCA, having held numerous positions in the Autauga County School System and elsewhere. Brock was the last principal at St. Jude Educational Institute in Montgomery before the historical institution closed its doors. He is the founder of the "Brother2Brother" and "Sister2Sister" mentoring program in Autauga County. He serves on numerous boards and councils, including The Alabama Leadership Council for the Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund, board of directors at The Mercy House, The Prattville Y.M.C.A. and Alabama State University's Continuing Education Policy Council. He also is a member of the Alabama Independent Schools Association state board of directors.
Among the multitude of awards and recognitions that he holds are The Montgomery Advertiser's "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Spirit Award" for Central Alabama. The Montgomery alumni chapters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. have each individually recognized him with their respective "Citizen of the Year" awards. He is a member of Alabama State University's "50 under 50" inaugural alumni class, and he recently received the Montgomery chapter of Jack and Jill of America's "Living Legend Award" during the 2023 Black History Month celebration. Forbes Magazine and The Yass Foundation have identified him as one of "America's Top-32 Educational Innovators."
Brock and his student-scholars from VCA recently were featured in Bryan Stevenson's HBO documentary "True Justice."
INFORMATION ON ASU'S TWO DEC. 1 COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES
The two Commencement ceremonies on Dec. 1 will be held for students according to the college in which the students will obtain their respective degrees.
The two graduation ceremony sessions are as follows:
8:45 a.m. Ceremony on Dec. 1
·The Harold Lloyd Murphy Graduate School
·College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
·College of Education
·College of Visual and Performing Arts
·University College
1:45 p.m. Ceremony on Dec. 1
·The Harold Lloyd Murphy Graduate School
·College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
·Percy J. Vaughn, Jr. College of Business Administration
·College of Health Sciences
Please note: The University will be enforcing its Clear Bag Policy at The Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
For more information, please check the Commencement webpage https://www.alasu.edu/
academics/commencement or by emailing questions to academicaffairs@alasu.edu. News media contact: Kenneth Mullinax, 334-229-4104.
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