News
Roberts Wesleyan University Announces 2025 Commencement Date and Speaker
Emerson U. Fullwood, Retired Xerox Executive and Roberts Trustee, to Deliver Commencement Address
Roberts Wesleyan University is pleased to announce the date and speaker for its 2025 Commencement. The ceremonies for traditional undergraduate, graduate, and B.E.L.L. students will take place on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Emerson U. Fullwood, retired corporate vice president of Xerox Corporation and member of the Roberts Wesleyan Board of Trustees, will deliver the featured Commencement address.
A total of 397 students will cross the stage, including 182 graduate and professional graduates, 213 undergraduate students and 2 B.E.L.L students. The graduate, professional studies and seminary ceremony will begin at 9:30am., followed by the traditional undergraduate and B.E.L.L. ceremony at 2:00pm.
"Commencement stands as one of the most cherished and significant days of the academic year," says Dr. Rupert A. Hayles Jr., President of Roberts Wesleyan University. "Our goal is to ensure that this day is especially meaningful for our graduates, as well as their families and loved ones. It is an occasion to honor their years of hard work, perseverance and academic achievements, and it is also a moment for us to commission them as they go out from here to impact their world through their skills, preparation and education for character. God Bless our graduates in all of their opportunities ahead."
Fullwood’s distinguished 36-year career at Xerox included leadership roles as President of the Xerox Worldwide Channels Group, President of Latin America, President of the Worldwide Customer Services Group, and Executive Chief Staff Officer of the Developing Markets Group. He also served as Executive Chief and Marketing Officer for Xerox North America.
Throughout his career, Fullwood has been recognized as one of the nation’s top executives, including being named one of Black Enterprise magazine’s “75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America” in 2007. He has received numerous leadership, community, and philanthropic awards, including the 2016 United Way Alex Tocqueville Leadership Award, the 2019 Rochester Business Journal ICON Award, the North Carolina State University Top 40 Alumni Award, and the 2022 Rochester Area Community Foundation Philanthropy Award.
In addition to his work with Roberts Wesleyan University as a Board of Trustee, a position he has held since 2014, Fullwood serves on the boards of other businesses, higher education institutions, and philanthropic organizations. He is on the boards of the University of Rochester, the University of Rochester Medical Center, North Carolina A&T University, Monroe Community College Foundation, the Rochester Urban League, United Way of Greater Rochester, the Rochester Boy Scouts of America, and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from North Carolina State University, an MBA in Marketing from Columbia University, and an honorary doctorate from North Carolina A&T University. Fullwood resides in Pittsford, NY, with his wife, Vernita. They have two daughters and two grandchildren.
