MSU fall graduation includes major changes, major speakers

Contact: Sammy McDavid

A significant change in the graduation ceremony and two nationally prominent speakers will mark Mississippi State's 2004 fall commencement in December.

Nearly 1,300 university students are candidates for degrees at the bachelor's through doctoral levels.

To accommodate another record number of graduates during fall and spring semesters--and to now announce the names of all graduates to Humphrey Coliseum audiences--MSU will hold commencement exercises in two separate ceremonies during the evening of the 10th and morning of the 11th. Previously, only those receiving doctoral degrees have been named.

Retiring U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, a Monticello native and Jackson State University graduate, will be the featured speaker for the 7 p.m. program on the 10th. His audience will include graduates of the Bagley College of Engineering; College of Veterinary Medicine; College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, including the School of Human Sciences; College of Forest Resources; and College of Education.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. president Donald E. Powell's 10 a.m. address on the 11th will precede the awarding of diplomas to graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Architecture, Art and Design; and the College of Business and Industry, including the School of Accountancy.

"We look forward to providing more individual recognition to our graduates by announcing the name of each person who has achieved this milestone," said MSU President Charles Lee. "We want to make the occasion as meaningful as possible for those who have earned an MSU diploma and for their families and friends."

Regarding the commencement speakers, Lee said, "We are fortunate to have two major national figures participating in fall commencement. Secretary Paige and Chairman Powell are helping shape the direction of education and ensuring the stability of our nation's financial system. They are particularly well positioned to offer our graduates insights into the competitive global society in which they are about to launch careers."

Paige recently announced his intention to resign as the nation's seventh education secretary at the conclusion of President George W. Bush's current term. The first former public school superintendent to hold the position, he has gained considerable public exposure during the past four years for his leadership in promoting Bush's "No Child Left Behind" initiative.

Passed into law by Congress in 2001, the NCLB Act encourages states and individual public school districts to improve student achievement by enacting a series of major and minor reforms. Mississippi has been among states that aggressively have adopted provisions of the legislation.

In addition to a bachelor's degree from JSU, Paige holds master's and doctoral degrees from Indiana University. Before joining the Bush cabinet, he gained national attention for his leadership of the Houston (Texas) Independent School District. As a result, he was honored by the American Association of School Administrators with its 2001 Superintendent of the Year Award.

Powell, a lifelong Texan, became the 18th FDIC chairman in 2001. Prior to being named by Bush, he was president and chief executive officer of the First National Bank of Amarillo.

Before joining the government-backed bank insurance agency, Powell had amassed more than three decades of experience in the finance industry. He is an economics graduate of West Texas State University in Canyon, now a part of the Texas A&M University System and known as West Texas A&M University. He also completed the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University.

In addition to his professional career, Powell has a long history of community service with organizations ranging from a municipal housing board to facilities for medicine and disadvantaged youth.

For questions about the new commencement schedules, contact Registrar at (662) 325-2662.