Southeast winter commencement set for Saturday

Six hundred eighty seniors will be graduating from Southeast Missouri State University this weekend.

The 2014 winter commencement will begin with the honors convocation at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Show Me Center, followed by the commencement ceremony at 2 p.m.

The honors ceremony will recognize one student graduating with academic distinction in the department of major, one student graduating with honors in associate degrees, 69 students graduating cum laude, 57 students graduating magna cum laude, 21 students graduating summa cum laude and 11 students who have completed the honors program.

A graduate yawns during Southeast Missouri State University's 2012 Fall Commencement Exercises Saturday, Dec. 15, at the Show Me Center. (Southeast Missourian file)

The following commencement ceremony will recognize 549 undergraduates and 131 master's and specialist candidates. Eight of these undergraduate students are graduating with 4.0 grade-point averages, and 11 undergraduates are graduating as honors scholars.

Along with his wife, Jeanine Larson Dobbins, Dr. Kenneth W. Dobbins will present the commencement address for his second-to-last graduation as president of Southeast.

Jeanine Dobbins is the founder and director emeritus of the Missouri Statewide Early Literacy Intervention Program based at Southeast.

Kenneth Dobbins has served as the 17th president of the university since 1999 and announced his retirement in early September. He is set to retire in June.

Dr. Kenneth Stilson, chairman of the Department of Theatre and Dance, will be honored with this year's Provost's Research, Instruction and Development for Excellence Award during commencement.

Stilson has worked at the university since 2001, and also will serve as grand marshal at the commencement ceremony as well as present the honors convocation address.

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.

smaue@semissourian.com

388-3644

Pertinent address:

Show Me Center, Cape Girardeau, Mo.