It’s commencement week on campus — one of the most exciting and rewarding weeks of the semester.

Commencement is the culmination of everything we do at Missouri State. Every late night spent studying, board meeting, Instagram post, student recruited, scholarship earned, game played, lesson taught and dollar donated goes toward the making of this singular moment. It’s our why.

It takes a campus to help a Bear graduate and this Friday and Saturday, more than 3,000 students will proudly do so.

I love commencement. Every student who walks across the stage has put in the time and effort to do something uniquely special. And each one of us — faculty and staff — has supported them along the way.

It’s an especially rewarding moment for our first-generation students. About one third of our entering first-year students each fall are first gen. The university’s focus on access, student success and retention ensures these students have an even better chance of graduating — and redefining their own family history.

Commencement is not only an ending, but also a beginning. It’s the start of something new for every graduate. Whether it’s joining the workforce or pursuing further studies, a new adventure awaits.

This commencement period is bittersweet for me as it’ll be my final one as president of Missouri State. It’s truly been an honor to be a part of these ceremonies over the years.

Soon, I too, will start my next adventure. My hope is that our graduates are as proud of their time here as I am of these last 13 years.

As the students and I walk off the stage together, we’ll remember the house that built us. Here, we found our path to adventure. No matter how far away we roam there’s a universal truth — once a Bear, always a Bear.

Hats off to our #BearGrads

I hope you’ll join me for ceremonies on Friday in Springfield and Saturday in West Plains.

Springfield students will hear from Dr. Brian Mahaffey, coordinator of major league medical services for the St. Louis Cardinals during the 9 a.m. ceremony. At 1 p.m., Missouri commissioner for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Margie Vandeven will speak. And wrapping up the day, David Trottier, the former president and general manager of Smitty’s Supermarkets, will receive an honorary bachelor’s degree at the 5 p.m. ceremony.

On Saturday at the West Plains campus, alumnus Nicklaus Martin will give the keynote address during the 2 p.m. ceremony. Martin, a sound designer with Source Sound Inc., will discuss navigating life as a young adult and his award-winning career in the industry.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State.

Clif