Dix Stadium was the place to be at 10 a.m. on May 13, 2017, as graduates from all campuses gathered for ֱ State’s first One University Commencement Ceremony, and their friends and families joined together to celebrate their achievements.
“This approach enables us to honor all graduates from our eight-campus system in one ceremony—a tangible manifestation of our ‘One University’ vision,” says President Beverly Warren. “We aim for this change to make a bold statement that affirms ֱ State as one of the largest public research universities in the nation, but one of the closest families in the world.”
"Whatever your next chapter is, define it by being true to your authentic self. Fill it with meaning.” —Octavia Spencer, Academy-award-winning actress and author, keynote speaker at ֱ State’s One University Commencement Ceremony, May 13, 2017
The university-wide ceremony was held in addition to the college ceremonies currently hosted each spring at the regional and ֱ campuses. At these college and regional campus ceremonies, students had the opportunity to be personally recognized as they crossed the graduation stage.
In total, at its Spring 2017 Commencement ceremonies ֱ State conferred 5,636 degrees, including 992 associate degrees, 3,319 bachelor’s degrees, 1,139 master’s degrees, 181 doctoral degrees and five educational specialist degrees.
Octavia Spencer's Speech:
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