Franklin College Announces 2025 Commencement and Baccalaureate Details
Franklin College will host its 2025 commencement ceremony at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 24 in Spurlock Center Gymnasium on campus. Seating is limited and tickets are required to attend the ceremony. The event will be livestreamed on the college website, www.FranklinCollege.edu/commencement.
The Honorable Kip Tom, former U.S. Ambassador to the United States Mission to the United Nations Agencies in Rome, Italy, and current Chairman of Tom Farms, will provide the commencement address. Tom will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the college during the ceremony.
Baccalaureate service will be held at 4:30 p.m., Friday, May 23 in Spurlock Center Gymnasium. The Rev. Dr. Adian M. Brooks, Sr., pastor of the Memorial Baptist Church of Evansville, Ind., will provide the address and receive an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the college. Baccalaureate is open to the public and no ticket is required to attend.
Kip Tom served as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agencies and International Organizations (FAO) in Rome, Italy from 2019 to 2021. As the U.S. Ambassador to FAO, he managed the second largest budget in international organizations next to NATO. He prioritized weaning developing nations off the constant cycle of humanitarian aid, where on any given day the World Food Program (WFP) fed 150 million hungry people globally. Tom believes that “food security is national security.”
Currently, Tom leads the Tom Family of Agribusinesses, of which he has been a part of for the last 50 years. Tom also leads GlobalAg, a consulting firm to various food and agriculture companies. He has worked to develop food production systems improving food security in developing nations and has supported multiple innovative agriculture ventures.
After expanding the farming and agribusiness operations Tom recognized the need to adopt new and developing agriculture technology. He has served on multiple corporate boards, particularly focused on the future of agriculture technologies.
As a believer in youth development, Tom served as a National Trustee at both 4-H and FFA, furthering his support of tomorrow’s leaders.
Rev. Dr. Adrian M. Brooks, Sr. was licensed to preach on February 3, 1980, and ordained on June 14, 1983, at Seventh Street Baptist Church. He served as a pastoral assistant under his father, Dr. Anthony Brooks, Sr., before pastoring Calvary Baptist Church in Henderson, Kentucky, from 1983 to 1993. During his tenure, he led the church’s renovation and became a social activist, advocating for renaming streets and parks to honor civil rights leaders.
In 1993, Rev. Brooks became the fourth pastor of Memorial Baptist Church in Evansville, Indiana. Under his 31 years of leadership, the congregation has grown from 45 to over 3,200 members. He has expanded the church’s community outreach, establishing 40 ministries, including counseling, youth programs, and addiction recovery support. He has also championed the ordination of women in ministry.
To further his vision, Rev. Brooks founded the Memorial Community Development Corporation (MCDC) in 1994. As president and CEO, he spearheaded housing projects, including senior housing, townhouses and affordable multi-family complexes. The MCDC also operates youth employment programs, a healthcare clinic, an emergency home repair initiative and small business support programs.
Beyond his pastoral work, Rev. Brooks serves on numerous boards, including the Federal Reserve’s Community Advisory Council and the Evansville Better Business Bureau. He has received multiple awards, including the Indiana Sagamore of the Wabash and the Indiana Black Expo Leadership Award.