This year, more than 400 South Carolina State University students will make the transition to S.C. State alumni at the institution’s annual Spring Commencement Ceremony.

Commencement will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, May 11, at the Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. The commencement address will be delivered by Reg Weaver, president of the 3.2 million-member National Education Association.

Degree candidates participating in the ceremony will represent the College of Business and Applied Professional Sciences; College of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences; College of Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technology; and the School of Graduate Studies.

Weaver is serving his second term as president of the NEA, the nation’s largest professional employee organization.

As a middle school science teacher and 30-year classroom veteran, Weaver has been a lifelong advocate for quality public schools. He served as president of his local in Harvey, Ill., president of the NEA affiliate in Illinois, and now leads one of the most influential education organizations in the nation.

He travels nationally and internationally, working as an ambassador for public education and advocating for the basic right of every student to attend a great public school. North Carolina’s Shaw University recently awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters to Weaver for “his world-class leadership in the efforts to educate children.”

Weaver serves as vice president of Education International, a 348-member organization representing more than 29 million teachers and education workers in 166 countries.

A recognized expert on public education issues, Weaver has testified before Congress on federal education policy and frequently provides a critical voice on public education for national publications and regularly appears on national news programs.

Weaver serves on the executive board of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education and on the board of governors for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. He is a member of the board of directors of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and he is an honorary life member of the National Parent Teachers Association.

His commitment and contributions to public education haven’t gone unnoticed. He has been named one of Ebony magazine’s 100 Most Influential Black Americans for his national influence. He is the recipient of the 2005 Spirit of Liberty Award presented by People for the American Way, as well as the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute’s 2006 George Meany Latino Leadership Award.

Weaver’s recent honors also include the 2006 Chairman’s Award for Educational Leadership presented by 100 Black Men of America Inc. and the Congressional Black Caucus Education Braintrust’s 2006 Great Points of Light Award. Weaver also received the USAction Progressive Leadership Award, the National Conference of Black Mayors President’s Award, the Ebony Magazine Influential Black Educators Award and the Illinois Education Association’s Human Relations Award.

Weaver earned his bachelor’s degree in special education for the physically challenged at Illinois State University. He received a master’s degree from Roosevelt University in Chicago.

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