Ceremony honors new Southeast graduates, outgoing president

A cheer erupted as Southeast Missouri State University president Kenneth Dobbins welcomed its graduating class at spring commencement ceremonies Saturday.

This year's commencement again broke a record for the largest graduating class. A total of 1,390 students graduated this spring, with 1,113 undergraduates and 277 master's and specialist students.

It also was the last ceremony Dobbins will serve as president, a title he's held for the past 16 years.

"Today is an auspicious occasion," said Jay Knudtson, president of the university's Board of Regents. "Serving Southeast for more than 24 years, 16 of them as president, I've heard him say for many years that his greatest achievement was shaking the hands of more than 30,000 students as they've walked across this stage."

Dobbins remained composed as he took the stage, thanking his family and many of Southeast's faculty and staff for providing him the honor of serving at Southeast.

Southeast Missouri State University president Dr. Kenneth W. Dobbins shakes hands with a graduate during the spring commencement ceremony Saturday at the Show Me Center. (Glenn Landberg)

Erik Peterson, director of A.T. Kearney's Global Business Policy Council, a strategic advisory service designed for the world's top chief executive officers and business-minded thought leaders, delivered the commencement address.

Dr. Willie Redmond, professor of economics and faculty associate in the Office of the Provost, was awarded this year's PRIDE award. The PRIDE award is designed to recognize a faculty member who has demonstrated excellence as a teacher, an extraordinary level of scholarship and service and whose overall accomplishments are especially noteworthy, according to a university news release.

Also during commencement, 29 undergraduate students with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average were recognized as well as five Southeast alumni who were honored with the University's 2015 Young Alumni Merit Award.

Those five were Chris Foeste of Cape Girardeau; Kaci Heins of Bellemont, Arizona; Jennifer Sides of St. Louis; Tiffany Bayer of Jefferson City, Missouri; and Theresa Hassler of Harlem, New York.

Among the graduates Saturday sat Brandon Szakacsi -- a colorblind videogame artist.

Andrew Ebert graduating with his masters in mental health counseling stands while being recognized for his 4.0 grade point average during Southeast Missouri State University's spring commencement ceremony Saturday at the Show Me Center. (Glenn Landberg)

Szakacsi decided he wanted to study art at his community college nearly five years ago. He chose Southeast because of the marching band and art program. But once getting involved in art, he said he never had the chance to continue his saxophone career.

Szakacsi has never considered his colorblindness a disability while learning at Southeast. He just sees things differently -- an idea his professors have always supported.

"The teachers are really supportive here. Having a colorblind deficiency, you know you can see primaries and secondaries OK. It's that mid section where you're just unsure," he said. "They were always a lot of fun and were like, 'Do what you want, throw something at me.' And I'd always try to push a little more in each project I did to get better. And when you tell a teacher that, they're like, 'Yes, let's do it.'"

What Szakacsi said he'll miss most about Southeast is the people and the studios.

Szakacsi is from Collinsville, Illinois, and plans to move back home as he looks for a job.

"I'm excited, but I'm sad," he said. "I'm sad to leave. I'll miss all my friends and the work space and stuff, but I'm really excited because it's one of those 'as one door closes, another door opens; it's not the end, it's the beginning' kinda things. It's a sad moment, but it's a good moment, because I don't know where the next chapter of my life is going to go," he said.

smaue@semissourian.com

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