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Coley and Kuugongelwa-Amadhila to receive honorary doctorate degrees
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA – Historic firsts of female alumni take center stage at Lincoln University’s 2016 Commencement as its first alumna president of a university will offer the commencement address as well as receive an honorary doctorate degree along with another alumna, who is the first female prime minister of Namibia.
Dr. Soraya Coley ’72, who became the sixth president of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona), will give the commencement address on Friday, May 13 at the university’s athletic stadium. Not only is she the first woman to serve in that role there, but Coley is the first Lincoln University alumna to preside over a university.
Coley, who has over 25 years of academic and administrative experience, had served as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at California State University, Bakersfield, and was senior research fellow at Children and Family Future’s National Center on Child Welfare and Substance Abuse. She has also served as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Alliant International University, and is professor emeritus at California State University, Fullerton, where she served as dean of the College of Human Development and Community Service.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from Lincoln, and her MSW and Ph.D. degrees in Social Planning and Policy at Bryn Mawr College’s School of Social Work and Social Research. She is married to Lt. Col. (Ret.) Ron Coley.
In addition to Coley, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila ’94, who was named and sworn in as the fourth prime minister of Namibia and the first woman in that capacity in March 2015, will also receive an honorary doctorate degree.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, who earned her bachelor’s degree in Economics from Lincoln, experienced a meteoric rise through Namibia’s government after graduation. She returned to Namibia and took a position in the Office of the President under Sam Nujoma.
In 1995, at 27 years old, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila was named director general of the National Planning Commission. Seven years later, she was appointed as minister of finance and held that post until she was named prime minister. During that time, she was also conferred the Most Brilliant Order of the Sun, Second Class for meritorious service on Heroes’ Day 2014 by then Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba.
By Eric Christopher Webb ’91, Director, Office of Communications & Public Relations
Live Stream of Commencement- starting at 9:30a.m., May 13