Ashford University’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 10 will be the largest in the institution’s history, with 661 students expected to graduate. 

In addition to students who have attended classes at Ashford’s Clinton campus, online students will come to Clinton from across the United States to accept their diplomas in person.

“It continues to be exciting to watch the growth of the University and the number of students who are graduating from Ashford,” said Jane McAuliffe, Ashford University President. “It’s wonderful that so many of our online students want to come to Clinton to see the historic 90-year-old campus and meet their classmates in person.”

Ashford’s annual graduation ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. in the Durgin Educational Center; a reception for the graduates will follow.

A separate "hooding ceremony" for Ashford graduates receiving their master's degrees will be held at 12:30 p.m., also in the Durgin Center.

Because of limited seating, admission to the graduation events will be by ticket only.

To accommodate parking for the graduation events, the City of Clinton will allow parking on both sides of Springdale Drive on May10. There will be additional parking in Medical Associates’ parking lot, with a shuttle providing transportation to and from campus.

For directions, and parking information, guests can contact the Office of Academic Affairs at 563.242.4257 ext. 1290. 

LaMetta K. Wynn, who made history when she was elected mayor of Clinton in 1995, becoming the first African-American female mayor in any Iowa municipality and Clinton's first African-American mayor, will give Ashford’s commencement address. She served as mayor of Clinton from 1995-2007.  

Wynn has received many honors including YWCA Woman of Action, the Liberty Bell Award from Clinton County Bar Association, Citizen of the Year Award from Blackhawk County NAACP and the Outstanding Citizen Award from Iowa Governor Terry Branstad. In 1996, Newsweek magazine named her as one of 25 Most Dynamic Mayors in America, and she was featured on national Fox News and Iowa Public Television. In 1999, she received the Award for Peace and Justice from the Sisters of Humility of the Quad Cities and the Champion of Tourism for Clinton Award from the Clinton Area Convention/Visitors Bureau.

Last year, she was selected as one of four women who were honored at the inaugural Iowa African American Women’s History Makers Gala by the African-American Historical Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa. In 2001 she was inducted into the Iowa African American Hall of Fame. She is also the recipient of honorary doctorate degrees from Teikyo-Marycrest University, St. Ambrose University and Mount St. Clare College.

Wynn served on the Clinton Community School Board from 1983-1995 (three years as President), the Commission on the Status of African Americans in Iowa for four years (one year as Chair) and was a member of the Mount St. Clare College Board of Trustees. She serves on the Boards of the Gateway United Way and Mercy Medical Center, and is a member of Clinton Rotary International and Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, a teachers’ organization that is allowed to have one “non-teacher” member; she is Clinton’s member.

The mother of 10 children, Wynn is retired from her profession as a registered nurse; in 2005, she was recognized as one of 100 Great Iowa Nurses. She is a graduate of Galena (Illinois) High School and St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Founded in 1918, Ashford University is a coeducational institution regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, with programs in education, business, accounting, criminal and social justice, computer animation and graphic design, and other areas.  The University offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as a range of student activities and athletics, at its Clinton campus.  Online degree programs are available in education, organizational management, business administration, and psychology.  The University is known for its high quality yet highly affordable on-campus and online programs, with tuition fees among the lowest in the U.S. compared to other private institutions.  Its tagline is: “Higher Education Made Affordable”^SM.  For more information, please visit www.ashford.edu.