{"id":1375320,"date":"2024-12-10T09:29:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T15:29:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/?p=1375320"},"modified":"2024-12-12T03:27:25","modified_gmt":"2024-12-12T09:27:25","slug":"senator-joe-manchin-speaks-at-etbus-largest-fall-commencement-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/?p=1375320","title":{"rendered":"Senator Joe Manchin speaks at ETBU\u2019s largest fall commencement ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-1375322\" src=\"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/wp-content\/media\/2024\/12\/manchinketk-225x181.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"181\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/wp-content\/media\/2024\/12\/manchinketk-225x181.jpg 225w, https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/wp-content\/media\/2024\/12\/manchinketk-435x350.jpg 435w, https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/wp-content\/media\/2024\/12\/manchinketk-768x617.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/wp-content\/media\/2024\/12\/manchinketk.jpg 1290w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/>MARSHALL &#8212; United States Senator for West Virginia, Joe Manchin, delivered a commencement address for East Texas Baptist University\u2019s largest ever fall class of graduates on Saturday.According to our news partner KETK, 202 graduates walked across the stage throughout the day\u2019s ceremonies, including 140 undergraduate and 62 graduate students. It was ETBU\u2019s largest fall class in university history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis milestone commencement is a result of the combined efforts of faculty and staff focusing on ETBU\u2019s mission of graduating Christian servant leaders so they can follow their calling to God and humanity,\u201d provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, Dr. Thomas Sanders said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"s2n-player\" data-stn-player=\"o5noyx2a\" data-s2n-api=\"minuteMediaS2NApi\"><\/div>\n<p>Hannah Hobson, a Bachelor of Arts graduate in Worship Studies at ETBU, was awarded ETBU\u2019s President\u2019s Award for the Fall of 2024. Hobson, who\u2019s from Shreveport, maintained a perfect 4.0 throughout her time at ETBU and she\u2019s also done practicum hours at the First Methodist Church in Marshall.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe quality of Hannah\u2019s academic work is superior,\u201d said Dr. Nathan Phillips, director of bands and chair of the ETBU Department of Music and Theatre Arts. \u201cShe completes assignments thoroughly and often goes beyond the requirements in order to do her best work. As a musician, Hannah is one of the finest instrumentalists I\u2019ve ever taught. She has superior technique and musicianship and elected to give two recitals that were not required for her degree. She treats everyone she meets with compassion and fairness. She goes out of her way to serve and encourage and gives of her time and energy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. J. Blair Blackburn, president of ETBU, lead the ceremonies on Saturday and introduced one of only four current independent members of the United States Senate, Joe Manchin, who gave the morning commencement address.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\">\n<div class=\"ad-unit__content\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cIt is an honor to have Joe Manchin, United States Senator for West Virginia, here with us today,\u201d president Blackburn said. \u201cThank you for serving your home state of West Virginia and our nation. Senator Manchin is respectfully regarded as an esteemed statesman among both political parties. Americans across our country and those of us in Texas, are grateful for Senator Manchin and his leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s no way in the world you can make it by yourself,\u201d Senator Manchin said. \u201cI\u2019ve never had anybody who worked for me; they worked with me. We all have to work together to make something happen. Success depends on the team moving in the same direction. Whether you\u2019re leading a team or contributing to one, always remember that it\u2019s not about tearing people down but building them up so they can rise and grow. That\u2019s how we create lasting impact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Later, for the afternoon ceremony, Dr. Karen O\u2019Dell Bullock gave the keynote address after being awarded an honorary doctorate. Bullock taught for over 30 years at Southwestern University, Dallas Baptist University and B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary, where she retired at recently.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are what we read,\u201d Bullock said. \u201cWe are shaped and influenced by the books we read. They prepare us not only for interesting conversations but also for facing the real challenges of life. As graduates of East Texas Baptist University, an institution grounded in Christian values, you\u2019ve been immersed in God\u2019s Word. Its teachings are woven into the fabric of this campus, from the halls to the classrooms. These divine messages inspire us to grow in character, to deepen our faith, and to prioritize being over mere knowing or doing. You\u2019ve been challenged to follow Christ while pursuing your academic goals. As you step into the world, remember that life won\u2019t always be easy. You may face hardships, trials, and setbacks. But God promises to strengthen you and sustain you.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"nlp-ignore-block article-content rich-text\"><\/div>\n<p>Blackburn addressed all of Saturday\u2019s attendees to remind them of ETBU\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday, we celebrate your academic achievements, spiritual growth, and answered callings to serve,\u201d Blackburn said. \u201cAs a Christ-centered university, ETBU has equipped you to become Christian servant leaders, ready to impact the world with the hope, love, and light of Jesus Christ. From this Hill and ETBU, we are sending you out as Kingdom leaders\u2014educated, empowered, and emboldened to influence and impact people. May you carry the torch of faith and transform lives, for the glory of God.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MARSHALL &#8212; United States Senator for West Virginia, Joe Manchin, delivered a commencement address for East Texas Baptist University\u2019s largest ever fall class of graduates on Saturday.According to our news partner KETK, 202 graduates walked across the stage throughout the day\u2019s ceremonies, including 140 undergraduate and 62 graduate students. It was ETBU\u2019s largest fall class &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/?p=1375320\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Senator Joe Manchin speaks at ETBU\u2019s largest fall commencement ceremony<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":1375323,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/wp-content\/media\/2024\/12\/manchinketk-225x181.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[177],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1375320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news-archive-archives"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-07 08:55:30","action":"change-status","newStatus":"trash","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/wp-content\/media\/2024\/12\/manchinketk-225x181.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1375320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1375320"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1375320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1375324,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1375320\/revisions\/1375324"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1375323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1375320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1375320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1375320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}