York College of PA Commencement Exercises scheduled for May 11

During York College of Pennsylvania’s Commencement exercises on May 11, nearly 450 students will receive undergraduate degrees, and 55 students will earn graduate degrees. This will be the first such event for undergraduate students, as they missed their high school graduation due to COVID-19.

Commencement will feature addresses by York businessman Dave Meckley and Class of 2024 President JaNýa Brown. Honorary degrees will be presented to former president Dr. Pamela Gunter-Smith and her husband, J. Lawrence “JL” Smith. Commencement exercises begin at 10:15 a.m. under the tent on Main Campus. The event will be live-streamed. Additional information is available at www.ycp.edu/commencement. 

Born in York, Dave Meckley earned a B.S. in Engineering from Cornell University. For most of his professional career, he was a major shareholder and President and CEO of Flinchbaugh Engineering, Inc. In 2000, the company became employee-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Meckley transitioned out of the day-to-day management and continued to serve as a Director and Chair of the Board. In 2001, Meckley founded Strategic Advantage, Inc., a consulting company that works with privately held firms. He has served as an interim president/CEO for corporations and nonprofits on various assignments. He currently serves on multiple business boards. Meckley is very active in the York community. He has held two elected offices, served on more than 20 nonprofit boards, and chaired six nonprofit boards. 

JaNýa Brown, a Forensic Chemistry major from Severn, Md., is a STEM Scholar and York Engaged Scholar. On campus, she has served as a tutor, a laboratory assistant, a resident assistant, a curriculum developer in our GenNext program, and Academic Affairs Chair on Student Senate. She has also participated in three off-campus research experiences, serving as a visiting researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Quantitative Biology and Engineering Sciences Laboratory, as a Medical Scientist Training Program Summer Scholar at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and as a summer undergraduate researcher at New York University. 

During Pamela Gunter-Smith’s 10-year tenure as president of York College, academic programs were strengthened by creating the school structure and online offerings and infusing the curriculum with high-impact practices such as project- and community-based learning courses. Her focus on academic entrepreneurship and innovation culminated in creating the Graham Center for Collaborative Innovation and York College Knowledge Park, a learning laboratory that will enhance opportunities for students and faculty to interact with local businesses and organizations. Gunter-Smith created a strong connection to York City by opening the Center for Community Engagement and Marketview Arts in downtown York. She served the local community, commonwealth, and higher education nationally by participating on various boards. 

Upon graduation from Antioch College with a degree in Theatre, JL Smith set out to begin his professional acting career. While a member of the resident company of Atlanta’s Academy Theatre, he met and married Pamela Gunter, a physiology graduate student at Emory University. Amid several relocations, Smith joined IBM’s IT Division, where he remained until his retirement in 2015. In 2013, he became the first male presidential spouse in York College history. He served nationally as a role model and mentor for other presidential partners. He created and funded the JL Smith New Playwright Festival, and in recognition of his service to the College, particularly the Theatre program, the York College Board of Trustees named the Performance Stage in the Waldner Performing Arts Center in his honor.