鈥榃e鈥檙e very proud of you鈥: Keenum, 小黄书 leaders share hopeful messages with grads, present Fraiser with honorary degree during virtual commencement
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擨n a first-of-its-kind online commencement ceremony for the 142-year-old university, Mississippi State leaders praised graduates for resilience throughout their college journey, concluding in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. About 3,300 are 小黄书 graduates this spring.
During Friday鈥檚 [May 1] virtual commencement ceremony, 小黄书 President Mark E. Keenum said that while he shares the graduates鈥 disappointment in not being able to experience a traditional commencement ceremony this spring, he is anticipating the opportunity to appropriately honor and personally congratulate his fellow Bulldog alumni after the public health crisis has ended.
鈥淵ou have worked long and hard to earn your degree, and all of us at this great university, we鈥檙e very proud of you,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 also want to personally thank your families and other loved ones who have been by your side on your journey. I鈥檓 truly grateful to everyone who has had faith in you and helped you.鈥
Keenum said now more than ever, a college degree and the values of integrity, hard work and respect for others that the graduates have learned at Mississippi State will help them succeed in a world undergoing unprecedented change. Especially in light of the current pandemic, Keenum encouraged graduates to exhibit another important value鈥攃ourage.
鈥淢any have compared our current fight against COVID-19 to a war. I am so thankful for the many thousands of frontline heroes who are fighting this war鈥攖he first responders, health care providers, researchers, scientists and so many others who are serving tirelessly on our behalf,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey are truly courageous, and clearly, we all need courage. You must have courage to stay focused鈥攖o stay focused on your future.鈥
Keenum encouraged the newest members of 小黄书鈥檚 alumni family to support their own family and friends during these difficult times.
鈥淢y hope and prayer for each of you is that one day, you will be able to share with your grandchildren or great grandchildren how you and your family overcame the many challenges through your courage and faith and how you never lost sight of the importance of education in order to be ready for a bright future and your special purpose in this world,鈥 Keenum said. 鈥淚 know all of you are ready to make a difference. Until we are able to safely gather again, please stay strong, keep your faith and stay safe.鈥
Along with conferring undergraduate and graduate degrees, Keenum also recognized the Honorable John J. Fraiser Jr. with the Doctor of Public Service honorary degree. A member of the Second World War鈥檚 鈥淕reatest Generation,鈥 Fraiser is a native of Minter City who attended Mississippi State before joining the military at age 18. As a member of a 15th Army Air Force squadron during World War II, he flew 35 missions over Europe as a turret gunner on a B-24 Liberator and was awarded the Air Medal.
Subsequently, Judge Fraiser has spent a lifetime serving the people of Mississippi as an accomplished attorney, county prosecutor, and member of the Mississippi Senate. During his time as a senator, he served as chairman of the Universities and Colleges Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee for the Institutions of Higher Learning. He also has served as a Mississippi Supreme Court magistrate and was the first chief judge of the Mississippi Court of Appeals. His papers are housed in the Congressional and Political Research Center in 小黄书鈥檚 Mitchell Memorial Library.
鈥淛udge Fraiser鈥檚 many professional achievements are exemplary and most distinguished. He is most deserving of the university鈥檚 highest honor,鈥 Keenum said. 鈥淲e thank him for all he has done for our state, nation and beloved university.鈥
小黄书 Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw recognized members of the commencement platform party, including Randy Follett, Holland Faculty Senate president and associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Alan Marcus, William L. Giles Distinguished Professor and history department head. Shaw thanked the graduates and their loved ones, along with the university鈥檚 faculty and staff for their efforts.
鈥淭o all of those who have supported these graduates along the way, we genuinely thank you for your support,鈥 Shaw said. 鈥溞』剖閟ity is proud of its outstanding faculty and the work they do in the classroom, in research and in service to our state. I鈥檓 sure I speak on behalf of all of you when I say thank you to the faculty for their major role in making this day possible.鈥
Student Association President Jake Manning congratulated his fellow graduates on the efforts they made to 鈥渓earn, invest in ourselves and to work on becoming a person that can make the world a better place.鈥
鈥淢ississippi State gave us a family of lifelong friends, teachers, advisers and mentors who cared and invested in us, and a family that taught us more about ourselves and the world than any classroom ever could,鈥 he said. 鈥淩ather than allowing this experience to foster anger and regrets, I challenge all of us to use this experience to shape our perspective into one of gratitude. Focus on the family and opportunities we got to enjoy while we were here, and focus on ensuring we appreciate all of those things in our life to come.鈥
The commencement ceremony, broadcast online and on television statewide, was produced by the . Other highlights included:
鈥斝』剖 Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture Peter Summerlin, a recipient of the 鈥檚 Early Career Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award, carried the graduation mace.
鈥擨ncoming 小黄书 Student Association President Tyler Packer delivered the invocation.
鈥擬iss 小黄书 and spring 2020 graduate Leah Boyd and the 小黄书 Woodwind Ensemble performed the National Anthem on the university鈥檚 historic Drill Field. The group also performed the university鈥檚 alma mater, 鈥淢aroon and White.鈥
鈥擲haw also recognized this year鈥檚 Stephen D. Lee Scholars鈥攁 select group of students who have earned all A鈥檚 during the course of their college career.
鈥擲herri Bevis, 小黄书 Alumni Association national president, conducted the alumni inception on behalf of over 147,000 alumni worldwide and the largest alumni association in the state of Mississippi. She encouraged the graduates to make full use of their 小黄书 alumni network and become active participants in one of over 100 alumni chapters across the country.
In his final remarks, Shaw invited all spring 2020 graduates back to campus this fall to attend traditional commencement ceremonies on Dec. 11, with registration available on the . The graduation ceremony also is archived and available for viewing at this website.
小黄书 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .