More than 1,600 degree candidates are expected to graduate during MTSU’s 98th fall commencement during the university’s upcoming graduation ceremonies, according to the university.
On Saturday, Dec. 19, MTSU will again feature dual ceremonies and dual speakers starting at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Murphy Center. Of the 1,633 set to graduate during the 98th fall commencement, 1,398 are undergraduates and 235 are graduate students, including 218 master’s candidates, 12 Education Specialist recipients and five Ph.D. candidates.
Candidates from the College of Graduate Studies, Jennings A. Jones College of Business, and College of Education and Behavioral Science will receive their degrees in the morning ceremony. That afternoon, degrees will be conferred on candidates in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, College of Liberal Arts, College of Mass Communication, and the College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning, said Dr. Diane L. Miller, executive vice provost and chairwoman of the commencement committee.
•Mike Williams, a former state representative and MTSU alumnus, will serve as the guest speaker for the 9 a.m. ceremony.
Currently, Williams is the Tennessee director for the American Petroleum Institute, handling public relations and government. While at MTSU, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in economics in 1981, he was president of the Associated Student Body (now known as the Student Government Association), a cheerleader for three years, a member of the gymnastics club and a charter member of Sigma Phi Epsilon.
A native of Waverly, Tenn., Williams is married to Nancy Sloan Williams (B.S. ’84) of Murfreesboro. Her grandfather, the late Gene Sloan Sr., is a member of the Blue Raider Hall of Fame.
•Ellen Leifeld, former publisher and president of The Tennessean in Nashville, will be the featured speaker for the 1 p.m. commencement ceremony.
Regarding the upcoming commencement event, Miller said she wanted to remind all degree candidates of the importance of appropriate dress, decorum and respect for the commencement ceremony.
“We believe this is a very important day in the lives of many people,” Miller said. “Commencement is a day that families always remember as special. It is difficult to give the ceremony the dignified atmosphere it deserves if people are using air horns or leaving before the completion of the ceremony.”
Additionally, per Miller, the graduation committee also emphasized that students who participate in commencement will be required to stay for the entire ceremony. The ceremony should last about two hours. If candidates are planning celebration activities, please be aware of this commitment, she said.
“To make this a special day, it requires cooperation from everyone in attendance,” Miller said. “We believe it should be a dignified ceremony, which adds to its enjoyment of all in attendance.”
On Dec. 19, the doors to Murphy Center will open at 8 o’clock for the morning ceremony and candidates are expected to be in their assigned areas, dressed in their caps and gowns, no later than 8:30 a.m. For the afternoon ceremony, the doors will open at noon and candidates are expected to be in their assigned areas and ready at 12:30 p.m.
Officials report that students who are not in their assigned gyms at the proper times will not be allowed to participate in the ceremony. Because commencement rehearsals are no longer conducted, timely attendance is mandatory for students to receive important instructions.
• For more information about commencement or receiving a degree in absentia, please visit the Records Office Web site at www.mtsu.edu/~records/grad.htm. Questions about graduation may be directed to the Records Office at 615-898-2600. |
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