Little Rock, Ark. (May 4, 2022) — Philander Smith College will hold its 2022 Commencement at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 7 in the Statehouse Convention Center (Governor’s Hall I, II III) in Little Rock.
Humanitarian and award-winning actor Hill Harper is slated to deliver the keynote address. Currently starring in ABC’s #1 television drama The Good Doctor, Harper is the Founder and Chairman of The Black Wall Street Digital App and Wallet. He is also the author of four New York Times bestsellers: Letters to a Young Brother, Letters to a Young Sister, Letters to an Incarcerated Brother, and The Conversation. Letters to a Young Brother garnered several awards including “Best Book for Young Adults” by the American Library Association in 2007. Another award-winning book penned by Harper, The Wealth Cure, addresses ways to solve the racial wealth gap.
In addition to serving as guest speaker, Philander Smith College will confer upon Harper, who holds a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School, an honorary doctorate degree. Dr. Frank James, a retired PSC mathematics professor and 1961 alumnus, will also receive an honorary degree during the exercises.
Philander Smith College will not only confer 209 degrees, the largest number of students graduating in the College’s recent history, but also the institution has a record four valedictorians in the Class of 2022 who each will speak during the commencement ceremony.
