Staff Report
Columbus State University will award honorary degrees to artist and philanthropist Ann Strub and longtime Georgia lawmaker Calvin Smyre during its Spring 2025 commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 9.
Strub, a Columbus native and current New Orleans resident, will be recognized at the 9 a.m. ceremony honoring graduates from the College of the Arts and the Turner College of Business & Technology. Smyre, a retired Synovus executive and the longest-serving legislator in Georgia history, will receive his honorary degree during the 12:30 p.m. ceremony for the College of Letters & Sciences. Smyre also is scheduled to serve as the ceremony’s guest speaker.
"An honorary degree is the highest recognition that Columbus State University can confer on an individual and is therefore not lightly given,” said CSU President Stuart Rayfield. “It is intended to honor individuals who have achieved a record of lasting significance through their volunteer and philanthropic support of the university. Ann Strub and Calvin Smyre are certainly no exception.”
Strub, who has supported Columbus State’s Department of Art, Carson McCullers Center for Writers & Musicians, and Archives & Special Collections, has long maintained ties to her hometown. Her grandfather, Dr. Roland Bird Daniel, served as superintendent of Columbus Public Schools from 1909 to 1937 and chaired the committee that helped establish Columbus College, the university’s predecessor.
Smyre, a Columbus native, served 48 years in the Georgia House of Representatives and was widely known as the “Dean of the House.” As a legislator, he championed higher education, racial equity and major initiatives such as the HOPE Scholarship and the redesign of the Georgia state flag. He also played a pivotal role in the development of the $62 million RiverCenter for the Performing Arts in downtown Columbus.
In Jan. 2025, Smyre was honored with a portrait that now hangs outside the House Chamber in the Georgia State Capitol. The portrait was painted by Columbus State alumnus Steve Têtte, who will deliver the keynote address at the university’s 9 a.m. commencement.
Columbus State has awarded honorary degrees since 1997. A total of 41 individuals have received the honor, including some awarded jointly to spouses.
For more information about CSU’s Spring 2025 commencement ceremonies, visit Columbus State University's graduation webpage.
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