Southeast will confer 514 degrees on Saturday

Degrees will be conferred on 514 graduates during commencement exercises at Southeast Missouri State University Saturday.

Sheryl Crow, an internationally known singer, guitarist and songwriter who grew up in Kennett, Mo., , will deliver the commencement address at the 2 p.m. ceremony in the Show Me Center.

Crow has received five Grammy awards and the Gibson Guitar Award as the best acoustic female guitarist.

Degrees will be conferred on 454 undergraduates and 60 graduate students.

Leading the class of undergraduates will be Amanda Gremaud of Perryville, Mo., and Matthew Pierce of Patton, Mo. Both are graduating with perfect 4.0 grade-point averages.

Gremaud will receive a bachelor of science in education degree. Pierce will graduate with a bachelor of science in business administration degree with a major in accounting.

Four students will graduate with academic distinction, including Sam Teeters of Marble Hill, Mo., who will graduate with distinction in geosciences.

The 94 undergraduates and 26 graduate students graduating with honors will be recognized at a convocation at 10:30 a.m. in the Show Me Center.

Dr. Allen Gathman, Southeast biology professor, will deliver the convocation address.

Among the undergraduates, 14 will graduate summa cum laude, 24 magna cum laude and 56 cum laude.

Students must obtain a 3.9 to 4.0 grade-point average to graduate summa cum laude, 3.75 to 3.89 grade-point average for magna cum laude and 3.5 to 3.74 grade-point average for cum laude.