APRIL 21, 2011 - Thousands of Oklahomans Receiving College Degrees This Spring

An improving Oklahoma economy will greet a record number of college graduates this spring.

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education estimates that nearly 32,000 students will earn degrees during the 2010-11 academic year at Oklahoma’s public colleges and universities. This is the ninth consecutive spring that a record number of degrees will be conferred.

Preliminary information relating to degrees awarded in 2010-11 was gathered in a survey of higher education institutions. Official data will be available later.

Of those 32,000 graduates, an estimated 16,700 will receive bachelor’s degrees. The most popular fields of study among students receiving bachelor’s degrees are business, education and psychology.

Business, nursing and general studies are the programs most frequently selected by the projected 9,000 students earning associate degrees.

An estimated 4,660 students will receive master’s degrees in a variety of fields, most notably in business, education and counseling.

Projections show that 465 students will earn doctoral degrees, while more than 1,000 others will receive professional degrees in areas such as law and medicine.

“We are very pleased to see so many students continuing to graduate from Oklahoma colleges and universities,” said Chancellor Glen D. Johnson. “We want to congratulate each one of them for this significant accomplishment and wish them the very best in all of their future endeavors.”

Distinguished representatives from various fields will deliver commencement addresses during this spring’s graduation ceremonies at Oklahoma’s public colleges and universities.

Ceremonies are listed alphabetically by city and include dates, times, locations and commencement speakers’ names, when available.

East Central University will hold commencement ceremonies May 7 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Kerr Activities Center in Ada. Elizabeth Smith and Stephanie Canada, ECU Alums of the Year, will serve as commencement speakers during the ceremonies.
Western Oklahoma State College will hold its annual commencement at 8 p.m., May 13 at the WOSC gymnasium in Altus. C. Michael Carolina, executive director for the Oklahoma Center for Advancement of Science and Technology, will serve as commencement speaker.
Northwestern Oklahoma State University will welcome Gretchen Barber van Eeghen, a 1996 graduate, as commencement speaker during its annual graduation ceremony at 10:30 a.m., May 7 at Ranger Field in Alva.
The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Chickasha, will hold two commencement ceremonies April 22 in the Te Ata Memorial Auditorium. USAO President John Feaver will serve as commencement speaker during the ceremonies at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Rogers State University will hold its annual graduation ceremonies May 7 at the Claremore Expo Center. Associate degrees will be presented at 10 a.m., and bachelor’s degrees will be presented at 1 p.m. Oklahoma State Treasurer Ken Miller will serve as commencement speaker.
Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s annual commencement will take place at 10 a.m., May 14 at the Paul Laird Football Field in Durant. Joe Chow, mayor of Addison, Texas, businessman and alumnus, will be the commencement speaker.
The University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond will hold its annual commencement ceremonies over two days inside Hamilton Field House. Bachelor’s degrees for the College of Education and Professional Studies will be presented May 6 at 3 p.m. The graduate students’ commencement ceremony will be held May 6 at 7 p.m. Bachelor’s degrees for the colleges of Business Administration and Fine Arts and Design will be presented May 7 at 10 a.m., while the colleges of Liberal Arts and Mathematics and Science will hold their ceremonies at 2 p.m.
Former Gov. George Nigh will serve as speaker during Redlands Community College’s annual commencement at 8 p.m., May 13 inside the field house on campus in El Reno. The nursing pinning ceremony will be held at 4 p.m.
Oklahoma Panhandle State University’s annual commencement will be held at 10 a.m., May 14 at Oscar Williams Field House in Goodwell. Serving as commencement speaker will be state Rep. Gus Blackwell.
Donna Brazile, political correspondent, will speak to graduates during Langston University’s commencement at 10 a.m., May 14 at W.E. Anderson Stadium.
Cameron University, Lawton, will hold its annual commencement ceremony at 7:30 p.m., May 6 at the Cameron Stadium. Dr. Joseph Westphal, undersecretary of the U.S. Army, will serve as the commencement speaker.
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College’s annual commencement will be held at 8 p.m., May 5 on the Red Robertson Field on campus in Miami. Serving as commencement speaker will be Miami Mayor Brent Brassfield.
Rose State College, Midwest City, will hold its commencement ceremony at 7 p.m., May 6 at First Southern Baptist Church, Del City. RSC President Terry Britton will serve as commencement speaker.
Robert Gates, U.S. secretary of defense, will speak to graduates of the University of Oklahoma during its annual commencement at 7 p.m., May 13 inside the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman. Chancellor Glen D. Johnson will speak to graduates of the OU College of Law during its commencement at 10:30 a.m., May 14 at the Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City.
Connors State College President Donnie Nero will be the commencement speaker during CSC’s ceremony at 7 p.m., May 6 at the Muskogee Civic Center.
Oklahoma City Community College will welcome Dave Lopez, Oklahoma secretary of commerce and tourism, as commencement speaker during its graduation ceremony at 7:30 p.m., May 13 in the Cox Convention Center.
Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City will hold its annual commencement at 7 p.m., May 16 at the Cox Convention Center. Martha Burger, senior vice president at Chesapeake Energy Corp., will serve as commencement speaker.
OSU Institute of Technology, Okmulgee, will celebrate its commencement at 1 p.m., April 22 in Covelle Hall on campus. Dr. David C. Bosserman, interim OSUIT president, will serve as commencement speaker.
Carl Albert State College will hold its graduation ceremony at 7:30 p.m., May 6 at the Mick Thompson Fitness Center on campus in Poteau.
Seminole State College’s annual commencement will be held at 10:30 a.m., May 13 in Raymond Harber Field House on campus. Serving as commencement speaker will be Bryan Gonterman, president of AT&T Oklahoma.
OSU, Stillwater, will celebrate its commencement over two days. All ceremonies will be held in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Graduate College commencement is scheduled for 7 p.m., May 6. For undergraduates, the colleges of Engineering, Architecture and Technology and Education will hold their commencement at 9:30 a.m., May 7. The College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the Spears School of Business will hold their commencement at 12:30 p.m. The colleges of Human Environmental Sciences and Arts and Sciences will hold their ceremony at 4 p.m. The hooding ceremony for the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences will be held at 7 p.m., May 7. Gov. Mary Fallin will serve as the commencement speaker for the first morning ceremony and Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb will serve as the speaker for the afternoon ceremonies.
Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, will hold its annual commencement ceremonies over two days. All ceremonies will be held in the Jack Dobbins Field House. The College of Education commencement is scheduled for 7 p.m., May 6. The colleges of Science and Health Professions and Optometry will hold their commencement at 8:45 a.m., May 7. The College of Business and Technology will hold its commencement at 11:30 a.m., May 7. The College of Liberal Arts will hold its ceremony at 2:15 p.m., May 7. Dr. Phyllis Hudecki, Oklahoma secretary of education, will serve as commencement speaker. NSU-Broken Arrow will hold its ceremony at 7 p.m., May 9 at the Union Multipurpose Activity Center in Tulsa. Dr. Clarence Oliver, retired superintendent of Broken Arrow Public Schools and dean emeritus at Oral Roberts University College of Education, will serve as speaker.
State Sen. Johnnie Crutchfield will serve as speaker during Murray State College’s annual commencement at 7 p.m., May 13 on the north lawn of the campus in Tishomingo.
Northern Oklahoma College’s annual commencement ceremonies will be held at 9:30 a.m., April 30 in Foster-Piper Field House in Tonkawa and at 3 p.m. in Briggs Auditorium on NOC’s Enid campus. Todd Lamb, Oklahoma lieutenant governor, will serve as the commencement speaker for both ceremonies.
The OSU Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, will hold its commencement at 7 p.m., May 13 at the Spirit Bank Events Center. Trey Thomason, fourth-year medical student and class president, will be the commencement speaker.
OSU-Tulsa’s annual commencement will take place at 7 p.m., May 9 at the Expo Square Pavilion in midtown Tulsa. Todd Lamb, Oklahoma lieutenant governor, will be the commencement speaker.
Chad “Corntassel” Smith, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, will serve as speaker during Tulsa Community College’s annual commencement ceremony at 7 p.m., May 6 at the Oral Roberts University Mabee Center.
Southwestern Oklahoma State University will hold its annual commencement at 10 a.m., May 7 at Milam Stadium in Weatherford. Dr. John M. Hays, former SWOSU president, and Lawayne Jones, Duncan businessman, oilman and rancher, will serve as commencement speakers. SWOSU-Sayre will hold its ceremony at 7 p.m., May 6 in the Sayre High School Auditorium. Dr. Buddy Wood, superintendent of Elk City High School, will be the guest speaker.
Eastern Oklahoma State College will welcome Tom Colbert, a 1970 Eastern graduate and Oklahoma Supreme Court justice, as commencement speaker during its graduation ceremony at 7 p.m., May 6 at the C.C. Dunlap Field House on the Wilburton campus.