A total of 328 students participated in Coastal Carolina University's commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 11 at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. A total of 471 candidates from August and December were eligible to march in the ceremony, including 45 master's degree candidates.

Commencement speaker Dick Raskopf urged graduates to engage with the world, even when "you can't control it," like during the present recession. He is publisher of the Sports Illustrated Golf Group.

Raskopf offered a three-point strategy based on "An Athletic Approach to Life," including: "Be prepared to win, embrace unexpected opportunities and never stop learning."

"I learned that hard work and a positive attitude was what set some recent graduates apart from others just starting out," he said. "No one then cared anymore about whether I graduated Ivy League or had an MBA."

Raskopf has had a 31-year career at Time Magazine, rising through the sales ranks to the level of associate publisher. "In your careers and lives you will face many unexpected journeys, all which you should embrace and learn from. These milestones and how you respond to them will shape your character and help make you into the kind of person you want to be."

Four students received the President's Award, the University's highest academic honor, for having perfect 4.0 grade point averages. They were Jessica R. Flansburg of Georgetown, psychology; Jill F. Nyhoff of Myrtle Beach, political science; Maranie R. Staab of Conway, communication; and Kaitlin E. Wilkes of Charleston, accounting. All graduated summa cum laude.