Success by degree: Nearly 3,400 graduating from Kansas State University
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Kansas State University commencement ceremonies will be Saturday, May 5, at Kansas State Polytechnic Campus in Salina and Friday, May 11, and Saturday, May 12, on the Manhattan campus.
MANHATTAN — It's graduation time at Kansas State University with commencement ceremonies Saturday, May 5, at Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus in Salina and Friday, May 11, and Saturday, May 12, on the main campus in Manhattan.
Nearly 3,400 students are candidates for graduation. To be awarded will be more than 2,700 bachelor's, nearly 660 master's, about 90 doctorates, 106 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and three associate degrees. Several students will be multiple degree recipients. More than 330 students are earning degrees through K-State Global Campus distance programs.
The 2018 graduates are part of the 151st class to graduate from Kansas State University.
This year's commencement speakers include the university's president and first lady, the outgoing provost, retired executives from Cargill and Union Pacific, a distinguished architect and the president of the Georgia Institute of Technology, who is a Kansas State University alumnus.
A live webcast of the ceremonies will be available at k-state.edu/graduation/. A virtual commencement ceremony for distance students is available at dce.k-state.edu/students/commencement/.
Ceremonies start at 10 a.m. May 5 with commencement for Kansas State Polytechnic in the campus's Student Life Center. Commencement speaker will be Mary Jo Myers, Kansas State University's first lady. Myers has a long background in public service involving military, educational and humanitarian organizations.
Graduate degrees will be awarded May 11 on the Manhattan campus. The Graduate School ceremony will be at 1 p.m. in Bramlage Coliseum. G.P. "Bud" Peterson, the president of Georgia Tech and a Kansas State University alumnus, will receive an honorary doctorate — the highest honor the university gives — at the ceremony and serve as commencement speaker.
Kansas Board of Regents member Dennis Mullin, Manhattan, will represent the board at commencement for the Graduate School and at the College of Veterinary Medicine ceremony, which will be at 3:30 p.m. May 12 in McCain Auditorium. The college's speaker will be Michael Apley, who holds the Edwin J. Frick professorship in veterinary medicine at the college. Apley earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Kansas State University.
On May 12, undergraduate colleges on the Manhattan campus will award degrees, and the College of Architecture, Planning and Design, whose graduates participate in the Graduate School ceremony, will have a recognition ceremony. The following is the schedule of ceremonies and speakers:
• College of Arts and Sciences, 8:30 a.m., Bramlage Coliseum, with Jim Haymaker, retired corporate vice president of strategy and development at Cargill, as speaker. Haymaker earned bachelor's degrees in economics and French from Kansas State University.
• College of Architecture, Planning & Design, 10 a.m., in McCain Auditorium, with Cheryl McAfee, CEO of McAfee3 Architects, Atlanta, as speaker. McAfee earned her bachelor's degree in architecture from Kansas State University.
• College of Education, 11 a.m., Bramlage Coliseum, with David Griffin Sr., assistant dean of the College of Education, director of the college's Center for Student Services and Professional Services, and an associate professor of curriculum and instruction, as speaker. Griffin is retiring in June following 26 years with the college. He is a Kansas State University alumnus, earning his doctorate in educational administration and leadership.
• College of Business Administration, 12:30 p.m., Bramlage Coliseum, with Candace Duncan, retired managing partner of KPMG in Washington, D.C., as speaker. Duncan earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Kansas State University.
• College of Agriculture, 2:30 p.m., Bramlage Coliseum, with Richard Myers, Kansas State University president, as speaker. Myers is a retired U.S. Air Force four-star general and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who became the university's 14th president in 2016. A Kansas State University alumnus, he earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and was a member of the Air Force ROTC program.
• College of Human Ecology, 4:30 p.m., Bramlage Coliseum, with April Mason, the university's provost and senior vice president. Mason is leaving Kansas State University after serving in her current position for eight years.
• College of Engineering, 6:30 p.m., Bramlage Coliseum, with Ivor "Ike Evans, retired president and chief operating officer of Union Pacific Railroad, as speaker. Evans earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Kansas State University.
DVDs of the ceremonies may be ordered through the K-State Campus Store at 800-KSU-CATS or 785-532-6583.
Commissioning ceremonies for the university's graduating Air Force and Army ROTC cadets will both be May 11 in the K-State Student Union. The Air Force ROTC ceremony will be at 8 a.m. in Forum Hall, while the Army ROTC ceremony will be at 10 a.m. in the Main Ballroom.
