Next week we will join our students and their families to celebrate graduation.

We will have three commencement ceremonies on the Springfield campus and one in West Plains. I will have to miss some of the ceremonies to attend my son’s law school graduation ceremony. However, I hope you will attend some or all of these ceremonies.

The first ceremony is at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 17 in JQH Arena. Graduates from the College of Humanities and Public Affairs and the McQueary College of Health and Human Services will participate in this ceremony.

The second ceremony is at 1 p.m. on Friday, May 17 in JQH Arena. Graduates from the College of Arts and Letters, College of Education and College of Natural and Applied Sciences will participate in this ceremony.

The third ceremony is at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 17 in JQH Arena. Graduates from the College of Business, Darr College of Agriculture and interdisciplinary academic programs will participate in this ceremony.

The fourth ceremony is at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 18 at the West Plains Civic Center. Graduates from the West Plains campus will participate in this ceremony.

Speakers at the ceremonies

I am particularly excited about the exceptional lineup of graduation speakers at this year’s ceremonies:

• Jennifer Moore, the news director and content coordinator for KSMU radio, will speak at the 9 a.m. ceremony on May 17
• Zora Mulligan, Missouri’s commissioner of higher education, will speak at the 1 p.m. ceremony on May 17
• Stephanie Bryant, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, will speak at the 5 p.m. ceremony on May 17
• Brian Fogle, President of Community Partnership of the Ozarks, will speak at the May 18 ceremony in West Plains

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

I hope you had a relaxing break last week. I began the week cheering on the Bears at the Hall of Fame Classic basketball tournament. While in Kansas City, I met with many donors and friends of the university and two Coordinating Board members and attended two alumni events. I ended the week attending the Missouri Valley Conference volleyball tournament that we hosted in JQH Arena. In the middle of the week, I celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday with friends and family.

As we face the three-week sprint to the end of the semester, I wanted to let you know about two upcoming events.

Next Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 2 p.m. I will host the annual President’s Holiday Reception in the PSU Ballroom West. You will receive an invitation to the reception this week via email. I hope you will make time to stop by.

Join me at commencement

On Dec. 14, at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., we will have our fall commencement ceremonies. Sen. Jay Wasson will receive the university’s Government Excellence Award at the 10 a.m. ceremony. This award recognizes Sen. Wasson’s support for Missouri State University through his work in support of state funding for the university, legislation that removed Missouri State’s statutory degree restrictions and other critical legislative accomplishments.

Matt Blunt will receive the Bronze Bear Award at the 1:30 p.m. ceremony in recognition of his support for Missouri State University. During his time as Governor of the State of Missouri, Blunt championed the legislation that gave our institution its name — Missouri State University.

Please make an effort to join me at these end-of-year events before we close for winter break on December 20.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Please join me in congratulating our graduates at the summer commencement ceremony on Friday at 10 a.m. in JQH Arena.

Congratulations #BearGrads

We will award 236 bachelor’s degrees and 254 graduate degrees — 15 of which are doctorates. Ken McClure, the mayor of the City of Springfield, will speak at the ceremony. He is a Missouri State alum and retired as the university’s vice president for administrative and information services in 2015.

One of the efficiency measures we implemented during last year’s budgeting process involves eliminating summer commencement. Accordingly, this week’s ceremony will be our last summer commencement at Missouri State. This makes it more important than ever that we show our support and attend the ceremony.

In future years, students who would have ordinarily participated in summer commencement will have broad discretion to decide whether they want to participate in commencement the preceding May or wait until the subsequent December. Work is underway by a group of faculty, staff and administrators to develop a set of parameters to guide students (as well as the faculty, staff and administrators that assist them) as they make this important decision in future years.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

On Friday, we will graduate 2,651 students at three commencement ceremonies in JQH Arena.

Inspiring our graduates

We are honored to feature three outstanding alumni and supporters of Missouri State University as commencement speakers.

Sara Lampe, a former state representative and life-long educator, will receive Missouri State’s 21st honorary doctorate. She will speak at the 1:30 p.m. ceremony. Brad Thomas, the president of Silver Dollar City Attractions, will speak at the 10 a.m. ceremony. Nancy Rahmeyer, a judge on the Missouri Court of Appeals, will speak at the 5 p.m. cerermony.

We will hold another commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. on Saturday in West Plains. At this ceremony, 257 students will graduate, and United States Air Force Lt. Col. Samuel K. Joplin will give the keynote address.

Please join me in congratulating each of our graduates on a job well done in completing their course work at Missouri State. I am excited to see the great things they will accomplish in the next chapter of their lives.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!