VSU Announces Fall 2024 Commencement Speaker And Posthumous Honorary Degree Recipient

The University will welcome CIAA Commissioner Jacqueline McWilliams as Commencement speaker and honor former Athletic Director, the late Peggy Davis, with a posthumous honorary degree.

Virginia State University is pleased to announce Commissioner for the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Jacqueline (Jacqie) McWilliams as the Fall 2024 commencement speaker. McWilliams was named the CIAA commissioner in 2012, becoming the first-ever female appointed to the position and the first African American female commissioner in the history of the NCAA.

McWilliams has been a trailblazer in intercollegiate athletics for 29 years, championing student-athletes and advocating for women leaders in sports. Before being named Commissioner for the CIAA, she spent nine years managing NCAA championships, including overseeing the men’s and women’s Division I Basketball tournaments.

Under McWilliams’ leadership, the CIAA has achieved remarkable success. She has strengthened the conference’s financial position, increasing its bottom line by over $2.1 million. McWilliams also secured a six-year extension for the CIAA Basketball Tournament in Charlotte, NC, valued at $2.5 million annually.

During commencement, the University will also award a Posthumous Honorary Degree to former Associate Vice President for Athletics Peggy Lynn Taylor Davis. Mrs. Davis was an influential leader in the Athletics Department at VSU for 27 years, leading and guiding with exceptional dedication and passion for our student-athletes. The honorary degree is a prestigious recognition given to individuals who have made significant contributions to the University.

"Jacqie McWilliams embodies the values of leadership, perseverance, and service that we strive to instill in our graduates, and we look forward to her inspiring message for the Fall 2024 graduating class," said VSU President Dr. Makola M. Abdullah. "We are also deeply proud to honor the late Peggy Davis, whose unwavering dedication to the success of our student-athletes—both in their athletic pursuits and in the classroom—helped shape the enduring legacy of the VSU Athletics Department."

Fall 2024 Commencement will be held on Saturday, December 14, inside the VSU Multi-Purpose Center. The processional will begin at 8:30 am.