VSU Celebrates 232nd Commencement Dec. 10-11

VALDOSTA — More than 1,500 undergraduate and graduate students will be recognized during Valdosta State University’s 232^nd commencement ceremonies on Friday, Dec. 10, and Saturday, Dec. 11.

The schedule of events is as follows:

Graduate School Commencement Ceremony

The Graduate School Commencement Ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, in The Complex. Guests will be admitted beginning at 3:30 p.m.

Dr. Michelle Ritter, VSU Class of 1998 alumna, will deliver the keynote address. She is an associate professor of nursing in VSU’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences, where she also serves as director of the Graduate Nursing Program. She has worked in the private and public health setting — primarily with vulnerable populations — for more than two decades. She currently practices at Ellenton Health Clinic in Colquitt County, Georgia, where she provides primary health care services to farmworkers and their families.

During the Graduate School Commencement Ceremony, every graduate in attendance will have their name called as they walk across the platform area in front of their fellow graduates, their faculty, and their family and friends. All graduates will be able to bring as many family and friends as they desire. Accessible parking and seating will be available. Guests unable to attend may view the ceremony live at www.valdosta.edu/commencement.

Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony

The Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, on the Front Lawn. Guests will be admitted beginning at 2:30 p.m.

Beth Clark-Morrison, VSU Class of 1990 alumna, will deliver the keynote address. She is a senior managing attorney focusing on employment matters with the Office of the General Counsel at Emory University, where she has worked since 1997. She previously worked for the Atlanta firm of Troutman Sanders. She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and the American Health Lawyers Association, and she serves on the VSU Foundation Inc. Board of Trustees.

During the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony, President’s Award for Academic Excellence recipients, honor graduates, and commissioned Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 172 cadets will be recognized, and every graduate in attendance will have his or her name called as they walk across the platform area in front of their fellow graduates, their faculty, and their family and friends. The celebration will end with a full fireworks display. Transportation will be provided from the university parking lots. All graduates will be able to bring as many family and friends as they desire. Accessible parking and seating will be available. Guests unable to attend may view the ceremony live at www.valdosta.edu/commencement.

Please visit www.valdosta.edu/commencement for a complete who, what, where, when guide to VSU’s 232^nd commencement ceremonies, including directions on where to park.