Southern Arkansas University’s Spring Commencement ceremonies are scheduled for Friday, May 9, 2014. A total of 420 candidates for graduation will be recognized in three ceremonies.
The Department of Nursing will honor 94 nursing candidates at 10 a.m. Following will be the ceremony for the School of Graduate Studies at 2 p.m., during which 69 candidates will be recognized. Both of these ceremonies will take place in the W.T. Watson Center, which was recently outfitted with air conditioning.
The undergraduate ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. in the scenic University Mall, weather permitting. A total of 257 graduation candidates will be recognized from SAU’s four academic colleges.
Dr. Ben Johnson, who was recently named 2013-14 SAU Honor Professor, will lead the faculty in the processional to music provided by the SAU Brass Quintet. The commencement speaker will be Leann Rogers, regional executive for Arkansas BlueCross BlueShield.
Below is the schedule of events for Friday, May 9, 2014:
| 9:15 a.m. | Nursing graduation candidates report to W.T. Watson auxiliary gym |
| 9:30 a.m. | Nursing faculty report to room 106 in W.T. Watson |
| 10 a.m. | Nursing Commencement, followed by a reception in Wharton Nursing Building |
| 1:15 p.m. | School of Graduate Studies candidates report to W.T. Watson auxiliary gym |
| 1:30 p.m. | Graduate faculty report to room 106 in W.T. Watson |
| 4:30-7 p.m. | Graduate and Undergraduate Reception in the Mulerider Cafeteria |
| 6 p.m. | Undergraduate candidates report to the Reynolds Center Grand Hall |
| 7 p.m. | Undergraduate Processional, featuring music by the SAU Brass Quintet |
In the case of inclement weather, there will be two undergraduate ceremonies at the W.T. Watson Center. Students in the College of Business and the College of Liberal and Performing Arts will participate in a 7 p.m. ceremony, followed by an 8:30 p.m. ceremony for the students in the College of Education and the College of Science and Technology.
