The May 2016 Commencement address was provided by the Honorable Michael S. Rawlings, mayor of Dallas. Rawlings received an honorary doctorate during the ceremony as did the Reverend Felipe Martínez, who presented the Baccalaureate sermon the previous evening. Martínez, a 1988 alumnus of the College is pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Columbus, Indiana. Also receiving honorary doctorates were 1972 alumna Carmen Tafolla of San Antonio, Texas, a prolific and well-known author, speaker, and performance artist who serves as Poet Laureate of the State of Texas; Clarice Tinsley of Dallas, Texas, the longest serving news anchor in the Dallas/Fort Worth market; and Anna Laura Page of Sherman, Texas, accomplished musician and composer who served the College as first lady throughout the presidency of Oscar C. Page from July 1994 to June 2009.
Joshua Chanin, originally of London, England, later of Coppell, Texas, was selected by his classmates as the senior speaker.
Each year, the faculty selects two outstanding seniors to receive the Kidd and Robinson Scholar Medals based upon the entire academic record as reflected on the transcript, course distribution, cumulative grade point average, and credits earned. President Marjorie Hass presented the 2016 awards to Carlynn Elizabeth Fagnant of The Woodlands, Texas, and Sarah Elena Dillabough of El Paso, Texas. Carlynn earned Honors in Mathematics while completing majors in economics and mathematics. Sarah completed majors in environmental studies and political science and a minor in French. Both summa cum laude graduates were 2016 inductees to the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society.
