Congratulations to the August 2008 graduating class! Eighteen undergraduate students and two master's students shook President Pastides's and Dean Kline's hands on August 9 in the Colonial Center. Incoming USC President Harris Pastides addressed the graduates.

TSTM graduates included David Anderson, Lindsay Arave, William Donaldson, Kenny Elliott, Jason Ellis, Bryann Grambrell, Sam Haney, Erica Jenkins, Bryan Mango, Sam McClain, Josh Moore, Norman Nation, Eric Pinkett, Mark Shingler, Nikkita Smalls, and Jonathan Sorrenti. Jason Colson and Ray Dailey graduated with honors. Allyson Rogers received the Master of Arts in Teaching degree, and Alfred Olivetti received the Interdisciplinary Master of Arts degree.

As reported by the USC News, "President Harris Pastides told graduates that their degrees represent a garnet-and-black passport to opportunity and citizenship among people with proud traditions and future plans."

"In his ninth day on the job as president, Pastides told the newly minted grads at the summer commencement exercises for all eight campuses that he had much in common with them. A first-generation American, Pastides helped his parents study for their U.S. citizenship exam and became the first in his family to graduate from college – a public university, in fact."