Legendary basketball coach John Kresse urged students to use the skills they have gained at the College of Charleston to make a better world.
John Kresse addresses the graduating class at Winter Commencement in TD Arena on Dec. 19, 2015.
The former College of Charleston basketball coach was commencement speaker and an honorary degree recipient at the College’s Winter Commencement held in TD Arena on Dec. 19, 2015. Over 125 students received diplomas during the ceremony.
In his commencement speech, Kresse told the students that his many years as a coach taught him to be an optimist.
“If you shoot for the moon, you will be farther along than if you hadn’t tried,” Kresse said. “No one has died from disappointment, but not going for it can be devastating.”
Kresse spent 23 years as head coach of the College of Charleston basketball team. During his tenure, he compiled a record of 560 wins and 143 losses with an average of 24 wins per season. His winning percentage of .797 is the 11th highest in all NCAA Divisions.
From Left to right, President Glenn McConnell, Betty Beatty, Sue Sommer-Kresse, and John Kresse.
The College also presented honorary degrees to Sue Sommer-Kresse and Betty Beatty.
Sue Sommer-Kresse worked as an administrator at the College of Charleston for over 35 years. She joined the College of Charleston faculty in 1980, serving as the Dean of Continuing Education and Professional Services; she was then appointed the inaugural Vice President for Enrollment Management, a position she held for 15 years. Sommer-Kresse has since held a variety of esteemed positions within the College of Charleston, including, Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement; Executive Director of the College of Charleston Foundation; Dean of the Graduate School; and Vice President for Strategic Planning. She also served as Acting Dean of the North Campus and Executive Director of the Lowcountry Graduate Center. During her tenure in the Institutional Advancement Office the Foundation annual fund raising.
Betty Beatty and her late husband Guy, a commercial real estate pioneer, are the parents of Susi Beatty ’86 and the grandparents of Brian Beatty ’06. They have been exceptionally good friends to the College over the years.
Betty assumed the position of Chairman of the Board of The Beatty Companies following Guy’s death in 2013. She is also Secretary of the Betty L. Beatty and Guy E. Beatty Foundation, which supports the couple’s education, health and human services philanthropic priorities.
