BARNES TO DELIVER KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT BETHUNE-COOKMAN
COLLEGE SUMMER COMMENCEMENT

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – Dr. William S. Barnes, senior pastor of  St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Windermere, Fl., will deliver the keynote address to the 2004 Bethune-Cookman College  summer graduating class during commencement exercises scheduled for Saturday, June 26, at 10 a.m. in the Mary McLeod Bethune Performing Arts Center, 698 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach.

Dr. William S. Barnes

Approximately 85 students will have their Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degrees conferred upon them by College President Dr. Oswald P. Bronson, Sr., who will preside over his final commencement. The esteemed educator will retire later this month after 29 years of service as president of his alma mater.

Dr. Barnes has been the senior pastor of St. Luke's since June 1992. In that time St. Luke's has grown to be one of the largest congregations in the denomination while emphasizing the areas of spiritual maturity and committed discipleship. Dr. Barnes' vision of a church that is "Building the Kingdom by Building Disciples" while welcoming all with God's love, hope, and healing has helped St. Luke's become one of the most dynamic, dedicated, and distinctive churches in Central Florida.

A graduate of Emory University, with degrees in Business Administration and Theology, Dr. Barnes has been a minister in the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church since 1974, having served in rural, urban, and suburban churches, as well as the Chaplain of Florida Southern College. He was a 2002 recipient of the Jefferson Award for American Public Service. Dr. Barnes is married to Kim, and has two adult daughters, Kristin and Meredith.

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Bethune-Cookman is a comprehensive college, which offers degrees in liberal arts as well as professional fields, such as business, education and nursing. A United Methodist Church-affiliated school, the College has a diverse and international student population of more than 2,700 and a solid reputation for academic excellence and community service. As evidence of its outstanding program, the College has been listed in the Templeton Honor Roll of Character Building Colleges and Universities, and it was ranked by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the “Top 50” schools in the nation for black students.  B-CC is one of 10 charter member colleges of Project Pericles, a program to create civic leadership and involvement on its member campuses.  The College will celebrate its 100^th year of founding on October 4, 2004.

For more information, contact our website www.bethune.cookman.edu. 

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