April 17, 2012 - Thousands of Oklahomans Receiving College Degrees This Spring

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Oklahoma’s public colleges and universities have produced thousands of college graduates ready to enter the workforce this spring.

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education estimates that more than 32,400 students will earn degrees during the 2011-12 academic year at Oklahoma’s public colleges and universities.

Preliminary information relating to degrees awarded in 2011-12 was gathered in a survey of higher education institutions. Official data will be available later.
Of those 32,400 graduates, an estimated 16,600 will receive bachelor’s degrees. The most popular fields of study among students receiving bachelor’s degrees are business, education and nursing.

General studies, nursing and business were the programs most frequently selected by the projected 9,300 students earning associate degrees.

An estimated 4,900 students will receive master’s degrees in a variety of fields, most notably in education, business and counseling.

Projections show that 480 students will earn doctoral degrees, while approximately 950 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. “These graduates are the future of our state. We want to congratulate each one of them for this 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 12 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Kerr Activities Center in Ada. David Porter, ECU alumni and corporate vice president of retail stores for Microsoft, will serve as commencement speaker during the ceremonies.
Western Oklahoma State College will hold its annual commencement at 8 p.m. May 11 at the WOSC gymnasium in Altus. Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Rita Aragon, Oklahoma secretary of veterans affairs, will serve as commencement speaker.
Northwestern Oklahoma State University will welcome Robert Reeg, president of MasterCard Technologies, as commencement speaker during its annual graduation ceremony at 10:30 a.m. May 5 at Ranger Field in Alva.
The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Chickasha, will hold two commencement ceremonies April 20 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 100th annual graduation ceremony May 5 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. John W. Norman, partner at Norman & Edem law firm, will serve as commencement speaker.
Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s annual commencement will take place at 10 a.m. May 12 at the Paul Laird Football Field in Durant. Jerry Buchanan, Tulsa businessman, 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 4 at 3 p.m. The Jackson College of Graduate Studies’ hooding ceremony will be held May 4 at 7 p.m. Bachelor’s degrees for the College of Business Administration will be presented May 5 at 10 a.m., while the colleges of Fine Arts and Design and Math and Science hold their ceremony May 5 at 2 p.m. Bachelor’s degrees for the College of Liberal Arts will be presented May 5 at 6 p.m.
Oklahoma State Treasurer Ken Miller will serve as speaker during Redlands Community College’s annual commencement at 8 p.m. May 11 inside the field house on campus in El Reno.
Oklahoma Panhandle State University’s annual commencement will be held at 10 a.m. May 12 at Oscar Williams Field House in Goodwell. Serving as commencement speaker will be state Sen. Bryce Marlatt.
Russell Perry of Perry Publishing and Broadcasting will speak to graduates during Langston University’s commencement at 10 a.m. May 12 at W.E. Anderson Stadium.
Cameron University, Lawton, will hold its graduate hooding at 2 p.m. April 29 at the University Theatre. Its annual commencement ceremony will be held at 7:30 p.m. May 4 at the Cameron Stadium. Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Toney Stricklin, businessman and state regent, will serve as the commencement speaker.
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College’s annual commencement will be held at 8 p.m. May 10 on the Red Robertson Field on campus in Miami. Serving as commencement speaker will be state Rep. Doug Cox.
Rose State College, Midwest City, will hold its commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. May 11 at First Southern Baptist Church, Del City. U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Bruce A. Litchfield, commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center at Tinker Air Force Base, will serve as commencement speaker.
Dr. Ruth J. Simmons, Brown University president, will speak to graduates of the University of Oklahoma during its annual commencement at 7 p.m. May 11 inside the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman.
State Rep. Jerry McPeak will be the commencement speaker during CSC’s ceremony at 7 p.m. May 11 at the Muskogee Civic Center.
Oklahoma City Community College will welcome U.S. Rep. Tom Cole as commencement speaker during its graduation ceremony at 7:30 p.m. May 11 at the Cox Convention Center.
Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City will hold its annual commencement at 7 p.m. May 14 at the Oklahoma State Fair Arena. J. Doug Pruitt, CEO and chairman of Sundt Contruction in Arizona, will serve as commencement speaker.
OSU Institute of Technology, Okmulgee, will celebrate its commencement at 2 p.m. April 20 in Covelle Hall on campus. Jeremy Colvard, vice president of RAE Corporation, will serve as commencement speaker.
Carl Albert State College will hold its graduation ceremony at 7:30 p.m. May 11 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 11 in Raymond Harber Field House on campus. Serving as commencement speaker will be Melvin Moran, CEO of Moran Oil Enterprises and former SSC regent.
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 4. For undergraduates, the colleges of Arts and Sciences and Human Sciences will hold their commencement at 9:30 a.m. May 5. The colleges of Education and Engineering, Architecture and Technology will hold their commencement at 1 p.m. May 5. The College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the Spears School of Business will hold their ceremony at 4 p.m. May 5. The hooding ceremony for the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences will be held at 7 p.m. May 5. Vaughn O. Vennerberg II, a OSU alumnus known for his success in the oil and gas industry, service to others and support of education, will serve as the commencement speaker for the morning ceremony and Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D., an internationally recognized educational innovator, will serve as the speaker for the afternoon ceremonies. Robinson and Vennerberg will also receive honorary doctorates.
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 6 p.m. May 11. The colleges of Science and Health Professions and Optometry will hold their commencement at 8:45 a.m. May 12. The College of Business and Technology will hold its commencement at 11:30 a.m. May 12. The College of Liberal Arts will hold its ceremony at 2:15 p.m. May 12. Selected students from each college will serve as commencement speakers. NSU-Broken Arrow will hold its ceremony at 7 p.m. May 14 at the Union Multipurpose Activity Center in Tulsa.
State Sen. Frank Simpson will serve as speaker during Murray State College’s annual commencement at 7 p.m. May 11 on the north lawn of the campus Administration Building in Tishomingo.
Northern Oklahoma College’s annual commencement ceremonies will be held at 9:30 a.m. April 28 in Foster-Piper Field House in Tonkawa and at 3 p.m. in Briggs Auditorium on NOC’s Enid campus. Jim Reese, Oklahoma secretary of agriculture, will serve as the commencement speaker for both ceremonies. NOC’s Stillwater campus graduates will participate in the Tonkawa ceremony.
The OSU Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, will hold its commencement at 7 p.m. May 18 at the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center. Steven Harmon, class president, will be the commencement speaker.
OSU-Tulsa’s annual commencement will take place at 7 p.m. May 7 at the Expo Square Pavilion in midtown Tulsa. Dr. Thomas McKeon, Tulsa Community College president, will be the commencement speaker.
Michael Carolina, executive director of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, will serve as speaker during Tulsa Community College’s annual commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. May 4 at the Oral Roberts University Mabee Center.
Southwestern Oklahoma State University will hold its annual commencement at 10 a.m. May 12 at Milam Stadium in Weatherford. Mike Aneshansley, Enercon director and consultant, and Dr. Russell P. Rother, CEO of Selexys Pharmaceuticals, will serve as commencement speakers. Aneshansley and Rother will be honored as distinguished alumni. SWOSU-Sayre will hold its ceremony at 7 p.m. May 11 in the Sayre High School Auditorium. Dr. Brent Bell, chairman of Behavioral Medicine at St. Anthony’s Hospital, will be the guest speaker.
Eastern Oklahoma State College will welcome retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. James E. Chambers, as commencement speaker during its graduation ceremony at 7 p.m. May 4 at the C.C. Dunlap Field House on the Wilburton campus.