Rider will be HHP’s graduation flag-bearer

Looking ahead to next week and graduation celebrations, the College of Health and Human Performance is pleased to announce Patrick Rider with the Department of Kinesiology will serve as HHP’s flag-bearer December 19 at 10 a.m. in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium for the campus-wide ceremony, when nearly 2,000 Pirates will be celebrated as East Carolina University fall 2025 graduates.

Patrick Rider guides a presentation in Harvey Hall at the Murphy Center. (ECU News photo)

Commencement celebrates the many achievements of our students. It also is a time for us to reflect on the contributions faculty and staff have made to the programs and processes that help to facilitate student achievements. Each semester, we honor a member of the HHP family who has evidenced a strong commitment to student success or other aspects of the HHP mission, by selecting them to serve as the college flag-bearer at the ECU Commencement Ceremony.

Our College of Health and Human Performance flag represents a group of individuals committed to ECU’s values of integrity, respect, rational inquiry and personal excellence, and that is focused on fostering health and well-being at all levels of society. Patrick Rider will do a great job in continuing this HHP tradition.

Rider is program coordinator for the sport performance science undergraduate degree, which was added as a degree option for students earlier this year, and is assistant chair of the Department of Kinesiology. He is a past winner of the ECU Alumni Association Outstanding Teaching Award and finalist for the Robert L. Jones Teaching Award. He also has been featured for successful partnerships with ECU athletic teams and his support staff role with Pirate soccer as a sport scientist. Among the flag-bearer nominations submitted by students, one especially spoke to Rider’s ability to impact and connect with students in a meaningful way: “From the moment we first spoke, I could tell he truly had my best interests at heart. I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in the UK with him, and it was an unforgettable experience. During that time, I got to know him better and built a strong relationship that I deeply value. Professor Rider is a connection I will forever be grateful to have. He even went out of his way to write me a letter of recommendation for a scholarship I needed to apply for, as my dad is currently battling lung cancer and I needed extra financial support. He is not only a great professor, but an even better person.”

Recent HHP flag-bearers
Fall 2025 — Patrick Rider
Spring 2025 — Tina Marie Devlin
Fall 2024 — Julie Cox
Spring 2024 – Katie Flanagan
Fall 2023 – Jacquelyn Mallette
Spring 2023 – Kelli Russell