Franklin Hosts 167th (Virtual) Commencement Ceremony

Contact:

Sherry Mercurio
Executive Director, Office of Community Relations
(614) 947-6581
Email: sherry.mercurio@franklin.edu

Franklin University, Ohio’s #1 Adult-Focused University, will hold its 167th Virtual Commencement Ceremony on Friday, June 18 at 7 p.m. (EDT), during which the University’s newest degree candidates will receive their diplomas. 

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKERS
Receiving an honorary degree and speaking at Franklin’s 167th Commencement is The Honorable Judge Terri Jamison.

Judge Jamison was elected in November 2020 to the Tenth District Court of Appeals; she is the third African American to serve in Franklin County’s 218-year history. She served for eight years in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, Division of Domestic Relations-Juvenile Branch. In that role, Jamison became increasingly aware of a number of individuals returning to her courtroom for failure to pay child support. Her innovative spirit led to the creation of the Compass Program, a collaborative effort with the Child Support Enforcement Agency. The program, which has received local and national recognition, connects unemployed child support obligors with resources they need to become and remain employed. 

Judge Jamison is a sought-after speaker and panelist on family, women and girls, criminal justice and continuing legal education training. In 2018, she was featured in The Walking Logo, a documentary focused on Carlos Christian and his advocacy for incarcerated men. In 2019, she was featured in PUSHOUT: Criminalization of Black Girls in School, highlighting disparities in school discipline.

Well known in the profession and the community, Jamison serves or holds membership in several professional and community organizations. She also works within her home church, Divine Kingdom Builders, where she spearheads many outreach projects to help homeless teens and families.

Judge Jamison has earned the following: juris doctor from Capital University; Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and an Honorary Doctorate in Community  Leadership from Franklin University. She and her husband, Ricardo “Ty” Gary, have a blended family of three sons, Tremayne, Demetrius and Sean, and eight grandchildren.

Also addressing the graduates will be graduating student speaker Chris Crawford. Chris has more than 20 years of experience as a production manager in multiple manufacturing environments. He has led and coached associates in continuous improvement activities to ensure safety, quality and production goals are met or exceeded. Most recently, he served as the operations manager at Harbison/Walter International in Oak Hill, Ohio, until 2019.

A Six Sigma Green Belt, Chris earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University and continued to pursue training in various areas including leadership, teamwork, culture change, performance accountability and labor relations. This path led him to enroll at Franklin University to earn his M.S. in Business Analytics.

Chris gives back to his community through service as a board member on the Chillicothe Education Foundation, on the Chillicothe City School District Levy Steering Committee, and with the Chillicothe High School Volleyball Boosters. Chris lives in Chillicothe with his daughter, Johanna, who is planning to play college volleyball while pursuing a nursing degree. His oldest daughter, Maddy, is married (Zac) and has two children (Cameron and Oaklynn).

About Franklin University

Accredited, nonprofit, and dedicated to educating adults since 1902, Franklin provides onsite course options at our Main Campus in downtown Columbus, Ohio, and is an innovator in providing personalized online education. The University offers applied in-demand undergraduate, masters, and doctorate programs that enable adult learners to achieve their educational and professional goals. Through agreements with partner institutions, the University also offers international academic programs, including its top-ranked MBA.

Franklin University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and holds specialized accreditations for specific academic programs through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education. The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated Franklin University as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE).