More than 1,500 students candidates for degrees at fall commencement ceremonies Dec. 7-8
Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018
Kansas State University's fall commencement ceremonies will be Friday, Dec. 7, on the Manhattan campus and at Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus in Salina, and Saturday, Dec. 8, on the Manhattan campus.
MANHATTAN — It's time for mortarboards, tassels and gowns as fall commencement ceremonies at Kansas State University will be Friday, Dec. 7, and Saturday, Dec. 8. Highlighting the ceremonies will be the awarding of an honorary doctorate to Dan Glickman, the former secretary of agriculture and Kansas congressman.
More than 1,500 students are candidates for graduation. Degrees to be awarded include nearly 1,250 bachelor's, more than 160 master's and more than 100 doctorates. Earning multiple or dual degrees are 75 students, while around 180 students are earning their degrees through distance programs.
Ceremonies kick off with commencement for the Graduate School at 1 p.m. Dec. 7 in Bramlage Coliseum. At the ceremony, Glickman will be awarded an honorary doctorate from the university and serve as the commencement speaker. The Kansas Board of Regents will be represented at the ceremony by Dennis Mullin, Manhattan, chairman of the board.
Commencement for Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus in Salina will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 7 in the campus's Student Life Center. Commencement speaker will be Beverly Gatton, who earned an associate degree in computer technology from the campus and served as its 2015 Alumni Fellow.
All ceremonies on Dec. 8 will be on the Manhattan campus and in Bramlage Coliseum. The schedule of ceremonies and speakers:
• College of Arts and Sciences, 8:30 a.m., with Don Hedrick, professor of English, as commencement speaker. Hedrick has taught at Kansas State University for 42 years. Hedrick will be assisted with his speech by Brandon Collins, master's student in music.
• College of Education, 10 a.m., with Signe Cook, a fifth-grade math and science teacher at Park Elementary School in Great Bend. Cook, who earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Kansas State University, was a finalist for 2019 Kansas Teacher of the Year.
• College of Business Administration, 11:30 a.m., with Randall C. Steuwe, chairman of the board and CEO of Darling Ingredients Inc., America's leading provider of rendering, recycling and recovery solutions to the food industry. Steuwe earned his bachelor's degree in finance from Kansas State University.
• College of Agriculture, 1 p.m., with Jason Bergtold, professor of agricultural economics, as speaker. A highly honored instructor, Bergtold is the recipient of the 2018 U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Agricultural Sciences Excellence in College and University Regional Teaching Award.
• College of Human Ecology, 2:30 p.m., with Lynda March, owner and operator of Nutrition Services for Rural Communities, as speaker. March, a registered and licensed dietitian, earned her doctoral degree from Kansas State University.
• College of Engineering, 4 p.m., with Alan Levine, founder of Port of Tucson LLC, as speaker. Levine, who earned his mechanical engineering degree from Kansas State University, is the owner of Cushing Business Center, Century Park Research Center, Tucson Frozen Storage, and Levin & Sons Construction Co.
A virtual commencement ceremony is available at global.k-state.edu/commencement for distance education students unable to attend their commencement ceremony in person. The website includes a listing of students earning degrees through distance education, a place for family and friends to post congratulatory messages, and other commencement-related offerings.
DVDs of the ceremony may be ordered through the K-State Campus Store in the K-State Student Union at 785-532-6583. The DVDs are $14.95, shipping costs $5.50 and delivery normally takes four to six weeks.
Related to commencement will be the commissioning ceremony for Kansas State University's Army ROTC unit at 10 a.m. Dec. 7 in the Union's Main Ballroom.
