UVA Darden Class of 2016 Announce Class Gift, Graduation Speakers

With their days as students at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business drawing to a close and graduation looming, members of the Class of 2016 announced that they had given to the School at a record-setting level, with class gifts among the three MBA formats combining to reach $339,872.

Roughly 93% of the Class of 2016 participated in the class gift.

The residential MBA class raised $175,370 for the Darden Annual Fund, while the MBA for Executives class raised $111,162 and the Global MBA for Executives class raised $53,340.

The executive format cohorts, which again achieved 100% participation, designated their $164,502 to be used for current-use executive MBA student scholarships.

At a special First Coffee, students also learned of their graduation student speakers and faculty marshals.

The Class of 2016 elected as their faculty marshals for graduation:

• Casey Lichtendahl, Eleanor F. and Phillip G. Rust Professor of Business Administration
• Yael Grushka-Cockayne, assistant professor of business administration

On Sunday, 22 May, the faculty marshals will lead graduates in their procession down UVA’s historic Lawn during Final Exercises, which begin at 10 a.m., followed by the Darden graduation ceremony at 1:15 p.m. in Flagler Court on the Darden School Grounds.

The Class of 2016 also announced its elected class speakers, one from each of the three MBA formats:

• Residential MBA: Missy Jenkins
• MBA for Executives: Maurice Jones
• Global MBA for Executives: Jeremiah McCloud

Dean Scott Beardsley will also deliver his first commencement address as dean to the graduating class at the ceremony.