Kansas State University

MANHATTAN -- As candidates for graduation, more than 3,350 Kansas State University students are preparing for the next chapter in their lives. Commencement ceremonies will be Saturday, May 11, at Kansas State University Salina, and Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18, on the Manhattan campus.

Marking the university's 150th birthday, the class of 2013 is the 146th to graduate from Kansas State University since the first class graduated in 1867. To honor the class of 2013 and its place in the university's history, graduates will receive special diplomas that commemorate the university's sesquicentennial.

The university will award more than 2,500 bachelor's degrees, more than 650 master's degrees, more than 80 doctorates, more than 100 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees and more than 35 associate degrees. Nearly 180 students are earning their degree through distance education.

A live webcast of the ceremonies will be available at http://www.k-state.edu/graduation/. A virtual commencement ceremony for distance students is available at http://www.dce.k-state.edu/students/commencement/.

Commencement for K-State Salina will be 10 a.m. May 11 in the Student Life Center. The speaker will be Dennis Shreves, a K-State Salina alumnus, Kansas native and retired civil engineer with the U.S. Forest Service in Custer, S.D.

Ceremonies on the Manhattan campus start May 17 with commencement for the Graduate School at 1 p.m. in Bramlage Coliseum. Warren Staley, university alumnus and retired chairman and CEO of Cargill Inc., will be the speaker and will be awarded an honorary doctorate. He is the 126th person to receive the honor from Kansas State University. Previous recipients include such distinguished individuals as Dwight D. Eisenhower, the U.S. president and military leader; Alf Landon, the former Kansas governor and Republican presidential candidate; Gordon Parks, a noted photographer; and Aaron Copland, the noted composer.

Commencement for the College of Veterinary Medicine will be at 3:30 p.m. May 17 in McCain Auditorium. Walter Cash, professor of anatomy and physiologyand university alumnus, will deliver the commencement address. The Wichita native has amassed nearly 40 years of service to the college.

Representing the Kansas Board of Regents at both ceremonies May 17 will be Regent Christine Downey-Schmidt, Inman.

The schedule and speakers for May 18 ceremonies are:

* College of Arts and Sciences, 8:30 a.m., Bramlage Coliseum, with Peter Dorhout, dean of the college.

* College of Architecture, Planning and Design, 10 a.m., McCain Auditorium, with James Cramer, chairman and principal of the Green Group Inc., a management consulting, research and publishing organization specializing in architecture, real estate and management. He also is the editor of DesignIntelligence, a design management change and innovation journal.

* College of Education, 11 a.m., Bramlage Coliseum, with Greg Hoyt, incoming principal of Manhattan High School and a university alumnus.

* College of Business Administration, 12:30 p.m., Bramlage Coliseum, with Stan Weber, Overland Park, vice president and chief financial officer of Tower Properties and K-State Sports color analyst. Weber received his bachelor's and master's degrees in accountancy from the university.

* College of Agriculture, 2:15 p.m., Bramlage Coliseum, with Warren Staley, retired chairman and CEO of Cargill Inc. Staley received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the university in 1965.

* College of Human Ecology, 4:15 p.m., Bramlage Coliseum, Marc Shaffer, principal of Searcy Financial Services Inc. and member of the Human Ecology Alumni Advisory Board.

* College of Engineering, 6:15 p.m., Bramlage Coliseum, with Mark Hutton, Wichita, CEO of Hutton Construction Co. and 1977 alumnus in construction science and management.

DVDs of the ceremonies may be ordered through the K-State Student Union Bookstore at 800-KSU-CATS or 785-532-6583.

K-State's Army and Air Force ROTC units will have commissioning ceremonies at 10 a.m. May 17 in Forum Hall in the Union.