York College to Graduate Nearly 300 on Dec. 15; Former Chair of the Board William S. Shipley III to Receive Honorary Degree
Nearly 300 graduates will receive degrees from York College at the Dec. 15 winter commencement ceremony, which will begin at 10:15 a.m. in the Grumbacher Sport and Fitness Center’s M&T Field House. Additional information, including a Livestream, is available at www.ycp.edu/commencement.
Former Chair of the Board William S. Shipley III will offer the address and receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Other speakers include Associate Professor of Nursing Kelli Masters, recipient of the Presidential Award for Teaching and Mentoring Excellence, and graduating student Cherish Christopher, a history major from York.
William “Bill” Shipley III serves as Chairman of the Shipley Group located in York. The Shipley Group consists of Shipley Energy and 11 other companies that serve people and businesses throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic. Shipley Energy is a provider of heating oil, natural gas, propane and electricity; as well as installation and service of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment. They also offer indoor air quality service. Shipley Energy hauls bulk liquids as a common carrier in the trucking business.
Prior to being named Chairman, Shipley served as CEO of the Shipley companies from 1992 to 2016 and helped lead the enterprises to new levels of growth and expansion over this time period. His impressive career in business began in a convenience store setting as the store manager for a 7-Eleven franchise in Delaware. After two years with 7-Eleven, he joined the family business in 1982, starting as an administrative assistant, which provided him with an opportunity to experience multiple roles and responsibilities.
With developmental experience in various management capacities, he went on to become the fourth generation of the Shipley family to lead the family business. Shipley proudly represents the next generation of family leadership within the Shipley Group as well as at the helm of a number of community and civic organizations throughout the region. He has been active in the York community as past Chair of the Board of the YMCA of York and York County. He is also past Board Chair of York Area Sports Night, Martin Library, Wyndham Hills Property Owners Association, Pennsylvania Chapter of Young Presidents Organization, and the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America.
Currently, Shipley is on the Board of Directors of Martin Library, the Paterno Library at Penn State, Maple Press, and Positive Energy Arts. He is immediate past Chair of the Board of Trustees at York College of Pennsylvania and is the Governor’s Representative on the Pennsylvania State University Board of Trustees. Additionally, he serves as Chairman and principal owner of York Professional Baseball, the operator of the York Revolution minor league baseball team. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Emory University and his MBA from Pennsylvania State University.
Shipley and his wife, Michelle, are the proud parents of Erin, Sarah, and Benjamin, and grandparents of William Paul Shaffer, Kaylee Joy Shaffer, Noah Francisco Kuljevan, and Jordi Shipley Kuljevan.
Masters earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice from York College, a Master of Science in Nursing with a forensic specialty from Duquesne University, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from York College. She regularly teaches courses including “Providing Forensic Care for Victims of Violence,” “Nursing Concepts and Practice: Adults with Acute Health Problems,” and “Management for Quality Improvement in Healthcare Systems.” She is a frequent presenter at regional and national professional conferences and has published in journals such as Health and Interprofessional Practice, Nurse Education in Practice, and the Journal of Trauma Nursing.
Masters’ students describe her as an incredible advisor who is exceedingly caring and knowledgeable. They praise her for working extremely hard to set up amazing learning experiences inside and outside the classroom. Masters is someone who is a lifelong learner who constantly strives to improve the quality of healthcare nursing students provide to their patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Masters volunteered to distribute vaccinations to the York community. She also serves her community through the Stop the Bleed program, a YCP Great to Greater funded program that educates ordinary citizens on how to perform life-saving first aid to people with serious bleeding injuries.
