Southern Arkansas University will come together to honor over 700 spring 2023 graduates during three undergraduate commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 5, and two graduate ceremonies on Saturday, May 6, in the W.T. Watson Athletic Center.
Friday, May 5, 2023: Undergraduate Commencement Ceremonies
| 8:00 a.m. | Department of Nursing Pinning Ceremony (Reynolds Center, Grand Hall) |
| 10:00 a.m. | College of Science and Engineering undergraduate ceremony |
| 2:00 p.m. | Dempsey College of Liberal and Performing Arts undergraduate ceremony |
| 4:00 p.m. | Rankin College of Business and College of Education and Human Performance undergraduate ceremony |
Saturday, May 6, 2023: Graduate Ceremonies
| 9:00 a.m. | Rankin College of Business and College of Education & Human Performance graduate students |
| 1:00 p.m. | College of Science and Engineering and Dempsey College of Liberal and Performing Arts graduate students |
The College of Science and Engineering undergraduate ceremony will begin the commencement weekend at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 5, while the ceremony for the Dempsey College of Liberal and Performing Arts undergraduates will be at 2:00 p.m. The afternoon will conclude with a 4:00 p.m. ceremony for the Rankin College of Business and College of Education and Human Performance undergraduates. Additionally, the Department of Nursing will host a pinning ceremony for all nursing graduates in the Donald W. Reynolds Center Grand Hall at 8:00 a.m.
On Saturday, May 6, the graduate ceremonies will begin with the Rankin College of Business and College of Education and Human Performance at 9:00 a.m. The ceremony for the College of Science and Engineering and the Dempsey College of Liberal and Performing Arts graduate students will begin at 1:00 p.m.
Dr. Elizabeth Myrick will deliver the commencement address for the College of Science and Engineering undergraduate ceremony on Friday, May 5. Dr. Elizabeth Myrick is originally from Hot Springs, Arkansas. She graduated from Southern Arkansas University with her BS in biological science in 2010 before going on to earn her doctor of physical therapy degree from the University of Central Arkansas in 2017. Dr. Myrick currently serves on the SAU Alumni Association Board of Directors, a position she has held since 2019, because, in her words, “I want to give back to the university that gave me so many once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. I also want to be a liaison between students and alumni to show that school pride and being involved continues well after graduation.” Dr. Myrick works as a physical therapist at National Park Medical Center in Hot Springs and enjoys travel, embroidery, and skiing.
The commencement address for the final two ceremonies on May 5 will be delivered by Dr. William McHenry, professor of organic chemistry and executive director of the Mississippi e-Center at Jackson State University. Dr. McHenry was born in Camden, Arkansas, and received his degrees from Southern Arkansas University (BS chemistry, 1972) and Mississippi State University (PhD synthetic heterocyclic organic chemistry, 1977). Dr. McHenry began his career as associate professor of chemistry and associate dean of the graduate school at Mississippi State University from 1977 to 1989. He then served as the first program officer for the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation at the National Science Center from 1990 to 1996, where he managed a portfolio of university-based programs valued at over a quarter of a billion dollars and traveled the nation helping universities implement mentoring programs for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM. Dr. McHenry continued his career at the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Education and then at the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education before returning to Mississippi in 2005 to continue his vocation of teaching, mentoring, and recruiting students into STEM careers at Jackson State University and the Mississippi e-Center.
On Saturday, May 6, Ms. Shanna Singleton-Deitsch will deliver the commencement address for both graduate ceremonies. Ms. Shanna Singleton-Deitsch earned her MBA with supply chain management emphasis from SAU in 2018. She also holds certifications from the Institute of Supply Chain Management (CPSM, CPSD), the American Society for Quality (CSSGB), and the Association for Supply Chain Management (CPIM). A seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in finance, accounting, and supply chain roles across the country, Ms. Singleton-Deitsch currently supports Entergy’s Sustainable Generation projects through strategic planning, supplier relationship management, spend analytics, negotiations, and cost savings initiatives. Before joining Entergy, she worked as a sourcing analyst for an independent power producer in Montana.
Each ceremony should last approximately 60-90 minutes. There will be no guest limits or tickets required for guests to attend the commencement ceremonies. The commencement ceremonies will be streamed live on the SAU Facebook page for those who wish to attend virtually.
