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Roberts Wesleyan University Prepares for 2023 Commencement
Kip Palmer of Rochester-based Palmer Family of Companies to deliver keynote address.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Roberts Wesleyan University will celebrate its 2023 spring commencement on Saturday, May 13, recognizing the academic achievement of 503 students receiving undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees. Three students from the university’s Bridge to Earning, Learning and Living (BELL) program, an inclusive postsecondary certificate program for students age 18-26 with intellectual and developmental disabilities, will also walk the stage during the traditional undergraduate commencement as the university welcomes family members, friends, faculty and staff to attend two in-person graduation ceremonies in the Voller Athletic Center on campus.
- 9:30 a.m. — Adult and Graduate (AGE) ceremony
- 2 p.m. — Traditional undergraduate and Bridge to Earning, Learning and Living (BELL) program ceremony
Dwight M. (Kip) Palmer, CEO of Rochester-based Palmer Family of Companies, will deliver the keynote address. A fifth-generation business owner, Palmer oversees Palmer Food Services and Palmer’s Direct to You Market, a local family-owned wholesale food distributor and retailer dedicated to providing independent restaurateurs, institutions and customers with the finest-quality products and services available in the marketplace.
A longstanding supporter of the university and seminary, Palmer has served multiple terms and roles on the Roberts board of trustees since 1997, and he and his wife, Amy, generously funded Palmer’s Place, a grab-and-go café in the Golisano Community Engagement Center, which opened earlier this year. Renowned for his many professional and philanthropic contributions to the Greater Rochester community, Palmer was also one of four business leaders inducted into the Rochester Business Hall of Fame in 2021.
This year’s ceremonies will mark the first graduating class of students under the new institutional name of Roberts Wesleyan University. They’ll also serve as Dr. Deana L. Porterfield’s last formal events at Roberts Wesleyan before concluding her successful nine-year tenure as president of the university and seminary.
Guests unable to attend the ceremonies in person will be able to view a broadcast of each commencement ceremony online. More details about the ceremonies, including how to tune in virtually, are available on the 2023 commencement page.