Stark County business leader Gerald Schroer Jr. will serve as the commencement speaker this weekend at Wheeling University and receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters during the ceremony.
Schroer, a 1986 graduate of the Catholic college in Wheeling, West Virginia, serves as chief executive officer for The Schroer Group, a Jackson Township-based health care company that runs nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, many under the Altercare name, and other businesses.
“I look forward to addressing the class of 2026, and I hope to offer some ‘life lessons’ to the graduates that may help them in the next chapter of their lives,” Schroer said in a prepared statement.
The commencement is May 9. University leaders will present doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s degrees to nearly 200 graduates. This year’s ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center.
“As an alumnus and a successful businessman, I know he will share with our graduates an inspiring message about values that he learned during his time at Wheeling University,” university President Dianna M. Vargo said in a prepared statement.
Schroer has served as CEO of The Schroer Group since 2015. He began his career as a licensed nursing home administrator and has held other positions, including president of Absolute Health Services, within The Schroer Group family of companies.
The school said “Schroer lives a life of service and community leadership, traits that he learned while a student at Wheeling. He remains passionate about giving back to the communities that shaped him.”
Schroer is a past member of the university’s board of directors and the Alumni Council. He serves on the board of directors of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Catholic Charities Foundation Board of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, and as vice chair of the Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital Development Foundation Board. He is also a past president of the Ohio Health Care Association.
Schroer has been recognized with numerous honors, including the OHCA Pioneer & Lifetime Achievement Award, the St. Augustine Award for Distinguished Service from Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital Development Foundation, and Saint Ignatius Alumnus of the Year.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Wheeling University taps Stark County business leader as commencement speaker
Reporting by Canton Repository / The Repository
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