Iowa Wesleyan graduation set for Saturday

MT. PLEASANT — Iowa Wesleyan University will hold its May commencement honoring graduates on Saturday. Two ceremonies are planned at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., split between academic programs to provide the opportunity to host graduation in person.

The ceremonies will honor both 2020 and 2021 graduates and will be held in the Howe Student Activity Center in Ruble Arena.

On Friday, Iowa Wesleyan will host the annual Nursing Pinning Ceremony at 7 p.m. in the University Chapel. This year the university baccalaureate will be prerecorded. This service will be showcased on the Iowa Wesleyan website and social media pages at 10:30 a.m. on May 1.

Christine Plunkett, Iowa Wesleyan president, will preside over commencement and present the President's Award to an outstanding Iowa Wesleyan graduate. The Chadwick Teacher of the Year award recipient will be announced, the most prestigious honor for teaching at Iowa Wesleyan. There will be music by the choir as well as a special video tribute to the graduating class.

Presenting the commencement address is Michael Patten, general manager for the Walmart Distribution Center in Mt. Pleasant. Patten is an energetic leader, a passionate lifelong learner, and will focus his message around perseverance.

He began his Walmart career in 2004, working as an investigator in the global security division. In 2007, he joined logistics as a regional senior manager in asset protection, supporting nine distribution centers in Texas. In 2010, he was promoted to senior director of compliance, safety and asset protection, supporting 62 distribution centers across the country.

In 2015, Patten was named the general manager for the e-commerce fulfillment center in Chino, Calif. In this role, he led the startup of the 1.2 million square foot Dot Com fulfillment center, which now employs more than 4,000 associates responsible for shipping items direct to customers.

University Provost Dr. DeWayne Frazier said, "We welcome one of Mt. Pleasant's finest to speak to our graduates. Michael Patten's energy and enthusiasm will be motivational for our graduates given the overwhelming challenges they endured to get to this important day. Michael will share stories that not only inspirational but empowering."

The commencement ceremony is not open to the public as the graduates are limited in the number of tickets to comply with university protocols. However, the chapel will hold an overflow area where the ceremony will be livestreamed on campus. Seating in the chapel is first come, first served. Doors will open in the chapel for seating at noon for the 1 p.m. ceremony and at 2 p.m. for the 3 p.m. ceremony.