Mount Marty Commencement Ceremonies Recognize More Than 200 Students

Mount Marty University recognized 216 students across two commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 2, at its Yankton, South Dakota campus, with 127 and 89 students in the undergraduate and graduate ceremonies, respectively. This was the first commencement of Dr. Mark Brown’s tenure as Mount Marty president, a post he began this January.

Michael “Mick” Gibbs, president and CEO of Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls, delivered the commencement address at both programs. Brown surprised Gibbs with an honorary doctorate in humane letters from the university prior to Gibbs’ address, introducing him as Doctor Mick Gibbs for the first time. Gibbs, who holds academic posts in Mount Marty’s biotechnology management graduate program and at the University of South Dakota, said of the doctorate, “Of all my responsibilities as a health care executive and a member of this academic community, this stands amongst the most noteworthy and meaningful to me personally.”

Gibbs’ address centered on the values of humility, small acts of service, and “showing up” to help out, regardless of any reward. “As my daughter is prone to say, in a way that is both funny and uncomfortably accurate, ‘many say they want to save the world; fewer help with the dishes,” said Gibbs about the importance of ordinary moments. Gibbs has 26 years of experience in health care administration. He began in 2000 at Rapid City Regional Hospital, now Monument Health, as a postgraduate administrative fellow. He advanced to CEO in 2012 and left in 2016. Gibbs also held senior leadership roles at Gordon Memorial Hospital in Nebraska and Sanford Health in Fargo, North Dakota, prior to his time with Avera.