The University of the Virgin Islands will hold its 44th Annual Commencement Ceremonies May 12 and 13 on the St. Thomas and St. Croix campuses, respectively. The St. Thomas campus ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 12, in the Sports and Fitness Center. The St. Croix campus ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13, on the campus grounds. During the ceremony the first cohort of students in UVI's Master of Arts in Mathematics for Secondary Teachers will receive their degrees.

The class speaker on the St. Thomas campus will be Athaliah Edwards. The class speakers on the St. Croix campus will be Carl A. Christopher and Vanessa S. Hamilton.

Admission to the St. Thomas campus ceremony is by ticket only. In a show of respect to all of the graduates, their families and friends, the use of air horns, whistles and other noisemakers will not be permitted at either ceremony.

The guest speaker for both campuses will be Dwayne Ashley. Ashley is the president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), a higher education assistance organization representing 47 public Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In his position Ashley leads the organization's long-term planning and guides its overall strategic direction. Under his leadership the TMCF has surpassed $68 million in support raised for scholarships, capacity building and programs. With his direction, the organization's mission has broadened from scholarships to include innovative programs for capacity and leadership development.

Ashley holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Wiley College and a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania's Fels School of Government. He serves on the board of directors of the Gallup Organization and the Ronald K. Brown/Evidence Dance Company. He is also a member of the American Council of Education's Higher Education Secretariat. A native of Houston, Texas, with family roots in Louisiana, Ashley currently resides in New Jersey. As a result of his success, he has become a sought-after expert in the fields of youth leadership, talent development and fundraising.