4/30/2015 - Jackson, Miss.

Mississippi Public Universities will award 10,417 degrees during Spring Commencement Exercises this year. The university first passed the 10,000 degree mark for Spring Commencement in 2012, when 10,088 degrees were awarded.

Each year Mississippi's public universities graduate almost 3,000 total students in STEM fields, about 500 students in professional programs (i.e. law, medicine, veterinary medicine), and another 500 students in doctoral programs.

Employment figures from Lifetracks suggest Mississippi's public university graduates will contribute more than $245 million to the state's economy within 5 years after graduation.

2015 Spring Commencement Schedule for the University System

Alcorn State University

Date/Time:	Saturday, May 9, 2015, 8:30 a.m.
Location:	Davey L. Whitney Health and Physical Education Complex
Speaker:	Dr. Jacqueline Walters, Comprehensive Women's OBGYN in Atlanta, Ga.

Delta State University

Date/Time:	Saturday, May 9, 2015, 10:00 a.m.
Location:	Walter Sillers Coliseum
Speaker:	David Abney, Chief Executive Officer at UPS

Jackson State University

Graduate Commencement Exercises
Date/Time:	Friday, May 1, 2015, 6:00 p.m.
Location:	Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center
Speaker:	Dr. Ricardo Brown, Dean, College of Public Service, Jackson State University

Undergraduate Commencement Exercises
Date/Time:	Saturday, May 2, 2015, 8:00 a.m.
Location:	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Speaker:	Cornell William Brooks, President and CEO, NAACP

Mississippi State University

Meridian Campus
Date/Time:	Friday, May 8, 2015; 11:00 a.m.
Location:	Riley Center
Speaker:	M.L. Waters, Secretary and Treasurer, Waters International Trucks, Inc.

Starkville Campus
Bagley College of Engineering; College of Veterinary Medicine; College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; College of Forest Resources; College of Education
Date/Time:	Friday, May 8, 2015, 7:00 p.m.
Location:	Humphrey Coliseum
Speaker:	T.B. (Tommy) Nusz, Chairman and CEO, Oasis Petroleum, Inc.

College of Arts and Sciences; College of Architecture, Art and Design; College of Business
Date/Time:	Saturday, May 9, 2015, 10:00 a.m.
Location:	Humphrey Coliseum
Speaker:	T.B. (Tommy) Nusz, Chairman and CEO, Oasis Petroleum, Inc.

Mississippi University for Women

Date/Time:	Saturday, May 9, 2015, 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Location:	Rent Auditorium, Whitfield Hall
Speaker:	Dr. Doris Taylor, Director of Regenerative Medicine Research and Director of the Center for Cell and Organ Biotechnology at the Texas Heart Institute

Mississippi Valley State University

Date/Time:	Saturday, May 9, 2015, 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
Location:	Leflore County Civic Center
Speaker:	Brigadier General Ronald Kirklin, Quartermaster School, Sustainment Center for Excellence

The University of Mississippi

Date/Time:	Saturday, May 9, 2015, 9:00 a.m.
Location:	The Grove
Speaker:	Dr. Teresa Sullivan, President, University of Virginia

The University of Mississippi Medical Center

Date/Time:	Friday, May 22, 2015, 10:00 a.m.
Location:	Mississippi Coliseum
Speaker:	No Speaker

The University of Southern Mississippi

Date/Time:	Friday, May 8, 2015, 10:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Location:	Reed Green Coliseum
Speaker:	Dr. Joseph S. Paul, Vice President for Student Affairs, The University of Southern Mississippi

Date/Time:	Saturday, May 9, 2015, 10:00 a.m.
Location:	Mississippi Coast Coliseum
Speaker:	Dr. Joseph S. Paul, Vice President for Student Affairs, The University of Southern Mississippi

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The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning governs the public universities in Mississippi, including Alcorn State University; Delta State University; Jackson State University; Mississippi State University including the Mississippi State University Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine; Mississippi University for Women; Mississippi Valley State University; the University of Mississippi including the University of Mississippi Medical Center; and the University of Southern Mississippi.

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