Southeast to hold record commencement May 17

Southeast Missouri State University will graduate a record number of students at the spring commencement ceremony on May 17, school officials said.

In all, 1,024 students are scheduled to graduate in commencement exercises at 2 p.m. in the Show Me Center, including 881 undergraduates and 143 graduate students.

Dr. Charles Roadman II, president and chief executive officer of American Health Care Association, will deliver the commencement address.

Roadman has more than 30 years of experience in the health care field. The American Health Care Association is a federation of 50 affiliated associations representing approximately 12,000 nursing homes, assisted living and other care facilities.

Prior to his current job, he served as the surgeon general of the Air Force.

Christopher Goeke, Southeast associate professor of music, will lead the national anthem.

The Southeast Chamber Orchestra will perform, with Gary Miller, Southeast music professor and department chairman, conducting. Marc Fulgham, Southeast associate professor of music, will be featured as trumpet soloist.

Twenty-two undergraduates will be recognized for having perfect 4.0 grade point averages, school officials said. They include Lynn Campbell, Julie McGowen and Cara Young, all of Cape Girardeau; and Jennifer Finley, Emily Siebert and Jessica Smith, all of Chaffee, Mo.

Five honors scholars will be recognized including Angela Kassel of Frohna, Mo. To be recognized as an honors scholar, a student must complete 24 hours of honors course work, six of which are at the senior level, and maintain a grade point average of 3.25. Honors scholars also must complete a senior research project.

Five students will graduate with academic distinction in their major field. They include Donna Kridelbaugh of Cape Girardeau for distinction in the department of biology.

Students graduating with academic distinction must have completed a special project after they have completed at least 75 credit hours of course work with a minimum 3.25 grade point average in their major department and a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average.

Eighty-seven members of Phi Kappa Phi, the international honor society, will be recognized at commencement.

Twenty-eight students who are members of Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership honor society, also will graduate.

An honors convocation is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at the Show Me Center during which 242 undergraduates and 44 graduate students will be recognized. Walt Lilly, professor of biology and the recipient of the 2002 Faculty Merit Award, will give the honors convocation address and serve as grand marshal at the commencement ceremony.

Among the undergraduates at the honors convocation, 59 will graduate summa cum laude; 64, magna cum laude; and 110, cum laude. Five will graduate with honors in associate degrees.

The required undergraduate grade point average for graduating cum laude is 3.5 to 3.74; magna cum laude, 3.75 to 3.89; and summa cum laude, 3.9 to 4.0. Graduate students must have achieved at least a 3.9 grade point average to graduate with honors.