President Tania Tetlow has been chosen to be the commencement speaker at Spring Hill College’s graduation. Spring Hill is a private Jesuit university in Mobile, Ala. Tetlow has multiple connections to the university; her father attended for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and it is the sister school of Loyola University New Orleans, where Tetlow previously served as president prior to her time at Fordham University.
“My commitment to Jesuit education began long before I was born, when my father came to Spring Hill for his Bachelor’s and then Master’s in Philosophy. My parents raised me nearby in New Orleans, steeped in Jesuit heritage and in awe of the heritage of Spring Hill. I am thrilled and honored to be part of the Commencement celebrations,” said Tetlow in a statement.
The commencement is set to take place on May 11, 2024, on the college’s Avenue of the Oaks, one of the college’s landmarks.
“It’s a gorgeous setting [where] the students walk when they first arrive and then walk again when they graduate,” said Dr. Rebecca Cantor, provost of Spring Hill College.
The commencement committee puts together a long list of speaker options each year. The college has had past speakers such as Lonnie G. Johnson and Father James Martin, S.J.
Cantor said, “We all loved the idea of bringing President Tetlow to campus because of her connections to Spring Hill College, her deep roots in Jesuit education, and her incredible leadership.”
As a fellow Jesuit university, Spring Hill and Fordham have formed a relationship over time. Cantor hopes that this connection will strengthen.
“All of the Jesuit colleges and universities have relationships on many different levels. Presidents meet, provosts meet, mission officers meet as well as many other groups,” said Cantor. “We also have a personal relationship in that President Tetlow has formed a friendship with our President Mary Van Brunt.”
Spring Hill is the oldest Catholic College in the Southeast, and its commencement ceremony will include an honors convocation, a baccalaureate mass, a president’s family reception and the ceremony itself. The event will be live-streamed.
