It’s graduation season. Here are plans for Springfield-area colleges, universities
This is cap and gown season in the Ozarks. Colleges and universities in the Springfield area will award thousands of diplomas in May.
The earliest commencement ceremonies were May 1 for Evangel University and May 2 for Mission University.
This year, the faith-based institutions kicked off a series of celebrations for graduates and their families.
Missouri State University conferred more than 3,000 degrees during three spring commencement ceremonies at Great Southern Bank Arena on Friday, May 10, 2024.
Here are details of the others:
College of the Ozarks
College of the Ozarks, located in Taney County, will celebrate its 118th commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 10, in the Howell W. Keeter Athletic Complex on campus.
Jimmy Cummings, community pastor at Fellowship Bible Church of Northwest Arkansas and alumnus of the college, will speak.
Cox College
The spring commencement for Cox College is set for Friday, May 16.
Drury University
Drury University will have two commencement ceremonies in the O’Reilly Family Event Center.
The ceremony for Drury GO and Graduate School students will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 9.
The speaker will be Carrie Richardson, executive director of Leadership Springfield, a non-profit organization centered on encouraging leadership development, since 2018. She also spent a decade in the healthcare field, serving as chief operating officer of Ozarks Community Hospital.
The Day School students will graduate at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 10.
The speaker will be Springfield chocolatier Shawn Askinosie, the owner of Askinosie Chocolate since 2006. A former criminal defense lawyer, he is also an author and the co-founder of Lost & Found Grief Center.
Missouri State University
Missouri State University will have three commencement ceremonies May 9 at Great Southern Bank Arena.
The 9 a.m. ceremony will celebrate graduates for the McQueary College of Health and Human Services and the College of Natural and Applied Sciences.
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Susan Hardy, graduating senior and former student representative on the Board of Governors, will be the speaker.
The 1 p.m. ceremony is for graduates of the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities and the College of Education.
Tamia Schiele, Student Body President and graduating senior, will be the featured speaker.
The 5 p.m. ceremony will celebrate graduates of the Darr College of Agriculture, the College of Business, and the Interdisciplinary Academic Programs.
Sgt. Maj. Lanny Asepermy is a decorated veteran and Native American historian. He will be honored by Missouri State University in May.
Lanny Asepermy, a retired sergeant major and decorated military veteran and Native American historian, will be presented the Honorary Doctorate degree at the ceremony.
He led efforts to lobby Congress for the Code Talker Recognition Act and was the first — and, so far, only — Native American Ambassador for the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame.
More: Native American historian, decorated military veteran to be honored by Missouri State
Ozarks Technical Community College
This year, Ozarks Technical Community College will have two commencement ceremonies on Thursday, May 15, at the Great Southern Bank Arena.
The first ceremony is at 3 p.m. and the second is at 6 p.m.
Southwest Baptist University
Southwest Baptist University will have two commencement ceremonies Friday, April 9, at the Jane and Ken Meyer Wellness and Sports Center. They will be at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield-area colleges, universities announce graduation plans
