Debbie Phelps to Speak at FSU Spring Commencement

About 330 students will participate in Spring Commencement for Fairmont State University. The ceremony begins at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 16, at the Feaster Center. A reception in the Falcon Center will immediately follow the ceremony.

Fairmont State College alumna Deborah Phelps, an educator and author, as well as the mother of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, will be the speaker. Nicole Stanley, a 2004 graduate of John Marshall High School, will be the student speaker representing the graduating class.

Deborah Phelps is widely recognized as an innovative, energetic and talented leader and master teacher with more than three decades of teaching and administrative experience. The proud mother of three children and grandmother of two, Phelps is the principal of Windsor Middle School in the Baltimore County Public Schools system. A highly sought after motivational speaker and recent author, Phelps addresses a range of topics related to education, child development and life lessons.

Phelps began her career in education as a teacher at Havre de Grace Middle School in 1974 and evolved her experiences from teacher to team leader to department chair, which has served as the foundation to her successful role in administration. Over the course of her distinguished career, Phelps has developed a state-of-the-art food science lab, designed and implemented award-winning nutrition and food science curriculum and has been actively involved in the successful launch of two middle schools.

Her dedication and commitment to excellence in the field of education has earned   Phelps honors including Baltimore County Public School's Teacher of the Year Finalist, two-time Maryland Family & Consumer Science Teacher of the Year and Baltimore County's "Baby Boomer of the Year" (2004).

Beyond the school halls, Phelps is also affectionately known as a "swim mom" to three accomplished swimmers: her daughters, Hilary (University of Richmond) and Whitney (U.S. Olympic Trials), and son, Michael (14-time Olympic gold medalist). She recently added "author" to her resume with the release of her first book, A Mother for All Seasons, in which she reveals the universal themes of her life story that is rich with struggle, humor, hope, advice and passion and rallies readers to cheer for all of our children at every stage of their growth and in every endeavor. 

Phelps serves on multiple business and community-advisory boards and has addressed various education conferences and business seminars. A native of Allegany County (Western Maryland), Phelps received her master's degree in Education Management & Supervision from Loyola College in Maryland and a B.A. in Education from Fairmont State College. She currently resides in Baltimore, Md., where she enjoys spending her free time with her family.

Nicole Stanley of Glen Dale is graduating from FSU with a bachelor's degree in exercise science and a minor in communication. While attending FSU, she has been a member of the women's swim team and served as the team's captain from 2006 to 2008. In 2005, she was named an Academic All-American and helped the swim team earn the top spot in the Division 2 Academic Championships in the United States. She has also been a member of Student Government since 2005, serving as vice president for one term. She has been a member of Phi Epsilon Kappa Physical Science and Education Honorary and also volunteered as a New Student Orientation Counselor for four years. Stanley served on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee from 2006 to 2008 and has been an active member of the Alpha Sigma Tau National Sorority.

Those who plan to attend Spring Commencement should be aware that a portion of the sidewalk near the Feaster Center is temporarily closed to accommodate the addition of a ground level entrance and an elevator in that building. The entrance to the Feaster Center that faces the football field parking lot is closed. The sidewalk on that side of the building is also closed.

Handicapped parking will be available on May 16, and parking attendants from the Department of Public Safety will be on hand to direct traffic. The Feaster Center parking lot located directly across Squibb Wilson Boulevard from the Duvall-Rosier Field parking lot will be used for handicapped parking. This lot allows guests to enter the Feaster Center directly onto the arena floor.

Seating will be available on the bottom rows of the arena for those with special needs. For more information, call the Office of Disability Services at (304) 367-4686 or the Department of Public Safety at (304) 367-4157. Sign language interpreting services will be provided during the ceremony.