MMLIS Graduates, 2025
Photo: Darrell Florence
On Friday, May 16, 2025, the first USC Bovard College graduating class of the Master of Management in Library and Information Science (MMLIS) program gathered at the University Park Campus to celebrate this noteworthy achievement with their family, friends, and peers. This year’s graduates work in a variety of industries, including public and private education and nonprofit organizations. They are prepared to take on forward-thinking leadership roles and advocate for the value of libraries in this dynamic field.
“You are all ready to lead,” Dean Anthony Bailey told graduates in his opening speech. “You are ready to be a positive force of change in your respective industries.” He recognized the graduates who received this year’s Order of the Laurel and the Palm and Order of Arête, and commended the faculty members who received awards for excellence in student mentoring, faculty mentoring, teaching, and service and leadership.
Photo: Stella Kalinina
Michael Fenlon, PhD, the Executive Director of Advances in Learning at Harvard University, was this year’s commencement speaker. A thought leader in talent management, innovative online learning, and executive education, Fenlon acknowledged the challenges that Bovard College graduates have faced during their programs and reminded them that “you have proven you can achieve tough goals. Your USC Bovard degree is a degree in the curriculum of life and leadership in the real world.” He encouraged graduates to enter this new chapter in their lives with a “beginner’s mindset” and to value the community that helped them achieve this milestone moment.
Students in the Master of Management in Library and Information Science program are equipped to thrive in high-level careers across civic, academic, and professional communities. The program focuses on librarianship and information science fundamentals, scholarship literacies, technologies, and forward-thinking management strategies.
The online MMLIS program at USC Bovard College is designed to fit students’ schedules and is offered on both a one- and two-year track. At 36 units, the program can be completed in just 12 months for students in the one-year track. No GRE is required, and students have their choice of three enrollment dates each year.
Watch the 2025 ceremony here.