Columbus State University News
Columbus-native arts patron, long-time public servant to receive honorary degrees on May 9
April 18, 2025
Columbus State University will award two honorary degrees during its Spring 2025 Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 9. Receiving those will be artist and arts patron Ann Strub of New Orleans and long-time state legislator Calvin Smyre.
Ann Strub, a Columbus-born artist now residing in New Orleans, will be honored at the 9 a.m. commencement ceremony, during which the university will bestow degrees on its College of the Arts and Turner College of Business & Technology graduates. Calvin Smyre, a longtime executive with Columbus-based Synovus and the longest-serving member of the Georgia Legislature, will receive an honorary degree at the 12:30 p.m. College of Letters & Sciences ceremony. He is also scheduled to address graduates as the ceremony’s guest speaker.
Honorary degrees are conferred only after a formal recommendation to the University System of Georgia chancellor and approved by the Board of Regents. Columbus State President Stuart Rayfield noted that, since the university presented its first honorary degree in 1997, 41 individuals—some of whom were husband-and-wife recipients—have been honored in this manner.
“An honorary degree is the highest recognition that Columbus State University can confer on an individual and is therefore not lightly given,” Rayfield explained. “It is intended to honor an individual who has achieved a record of lasting significance through their volunteer and philanthropic support of the university. Ann Strub and Calvin Smyre are certainly no exception.”
ABOUT STRUB
Born in Columbus, Ann Strub (pictured*) has always had an appreciation for her early
life in Columbus, for higher learning and for her relatives who left their mark on
the community. Her grandfather, Dr. Roland Bird Daniel, served as superintendent of
the Columbus Public School System from 1909 to 1937 and chaired the Committee on Education
that developed Columbus College, what is now known as Columbus State University.
An accomplished artist now residing in New Orleans, Strub has exercised her creative mind through various artistic endeavors, including the dramatic arts, visual arts, sculpting and gardening. In recent years, she has become a significant donor to Columbus State—namely its Department of Art, Carson McCullers Center for Writers & Musicians, and Archives & Special Collections.
ABOUT SMYRE
Calvin Smyre (pictured) has dedicated his life to public service and community betterment.
A Columbus native, his career has spanned decades and encompassed roles as a Synovus
executive, a 48-year Georgia state representative known as the “dean of the house,”
and a community leader. During his tenure in these roles, he has served as an honorary
director of the Columbus State University Foundation.
As a state legislator, Smyre frequently championed Columbus State and its students. He was a longtime member of the Georgia House of Representatives’ Appropriations and Rules committees, and he authored significant legislation that created the Georgia HOPE Scholarship Program, established Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday as a state holiday, commissioned a statue in King’s honor on the State Capitol grounds, and redesigned the Georgia State Flag. He also chaired the Project Development Team that guided the $62 million Columbus RiverCenter construction project and has passionately advocated for racial justice and equality. His commitment to public service has earned him numerous awards, accolades and leadership appointments throughout his career.
After concluding his service in the Georgia House, Smyre was honored in January 2025 with a portrait of himself that now hangs outside the House chamber in the state capitol. It was painted by Steve Têtte ’08, ’10, ’13, a three-time Columbus State graduate with degrees in art education. Têtte will be the guest speaker at the university’s 9 a.m. commencement ceremony.
For more information about the university’s spring commencement events, visit the graduation webpage.
* Ann Strub's photo appears courtesy of St. Charles Avenue, a Renaissance Publishing publication.
Media contact: Michael Tullier, APR, executive director of strategic communication + marketing, 706.507.8729, mtullier@columbusstate.edu
