Isgett Delivers Commencement Address to Graduates of Schools of Business and Health Sciences

On Friday, May 3, 2024, Donna Isgett, President and CEO of McLeod Health, delivered the commencement address and received an honorary Doctor of Humanities from Francis Marion University (FMU).

During her address, Isgett shared lessons in wisdom for the graduates of the School of Business and School of Health Sciences to take with them into their next step. She reminded the graduates that they should search for meaning in work that is greater than themselves and that they are better together. She also encouraged them to remember that resilience and tenacity matter, and that they should dream big.

“Stay tenacious. Stay thirsty for that next step and for the things that can make a meaningful difference. Dream big, but always outwork your dreams. It only comes with work; just the dream won’t make the difference. So dream big, but always outwork your dreams,” said Isgett.

Isgett was named President and CEO of McLeod Health in 2021. Prior to this role, she served in numerous capacities at McLeod, including as Chief Operating Officer. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Georgia State University, her Master’s in Nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina, and the Master of Business Administration from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Francis Marion University celebrated spring 2024 undergraduate and graduate degree recipients in two ceremonies held in the Smith University Center on campus on May 3^rd and 4^th with 353 graduates receiving their degrees — 294 students earned undergraduate degrees and 59 earned graduate degrees. Ninety percent of the graduating class was comprised of South Carolina residents.

FMU President Fred Carter congratulated the graduates on all of their successes and gave them words of wisdom to carry with them into the next step of their journeys.

“In our society, a university degree defines you not only as an educated person, but as one who will continue to grow and mature intellectually,” said Carter. “Your education is both broad and deep – grounded in the liberal arts and enhanced with the knowledge drawn from one or more academic disciplines. It will provide you with a successful career and a purposeful life. But you need to work hard at continuing this journey after graduation.”

Caption: Donna Isgett, CEO and President of McLeod Health, is pictured with Mr. William W. Coleman, Jr., a Francis Marion University Board of Trustees Member, Dr. Karen Gittings, Dean of the School of Health Sciences, and Dr. Fred Carter, President of FMU, after she was awarded a honorary Doctor of Humanities degree during commencement on May 3.