Cole to deliver BA address

Dr. Johnetta Cole, OC'57, will present the baccalaureate address for this year's graduating class. In 1987 Cole became the first African-American woman to serve as president at Spelman College, and it was during her presidency that Spelman became the first historically black college to receive a number one rating in U.S. News and World Report's annual college issue.

Cole has been a distinguished anthropologist, professor, author and lecturer. Her most recent book title, Dream the Boldest Dream, was published in 1997 and is one among four different published and edited books by Cole. She has also published many articles which are reprinted in academic and popular journals.

In 1957 Cole majored in and received an A.B. in sociology at Oberlin College. She later received her M.A. and Ph.D. in anthropology from Northwestern University. Her successful endeavors as a black woman scholar have earned her dozens of awards and over 41 conferred university and college honorary degrees.

As an academic scholar Cole has quite a rap. After receiving her Ph.D. Cole taught at University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Hunter College and Washington State University where she was named Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year. In 1997, Cole became a faculty member of Emory University as Presidential Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, Women's Studies and African-American Studies.

In 1992, Cole became a member of President-Elect Bill Clinton's transition team as Cluster Coordinator for Education, Labor and the Arts and Humanities. Six years later, Cole established herself as a member of then-President-Elect Bill Clinton's11-member commission on the celebration of women in American history in 1998.

This baccalaureate address will take place Sunday 2 p.m. Finney Chapel. Her talk, which is based on I Corinthians 13, is entitled "...And the Greatest of These is Love."

Cole: OC Alumnus will deliver the baccalaureate address for the class of '99. (photo courtesy College Relations)