Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Two well-known married couples, all Mississippi State graduates, will be featured speakers May 4 and 5 for the university's spring commencement.
In addition, the 129-year-old land-grant university will award honorary degrees to two equally well-known state residents who have made significant contributions in their fields.
Some 2,000 students are candidates for degrees. To accommodate large numbers of graduates during the spring and fall semesters--and announce names of all on hand to accept their diplomas--the university holds two ceremonies at Humphrey Coliseum.
The speakers include Gray and Mary Swoope of Madison for the 7 p.m. program on the 4th, and Mark and Rhonda Keenum of Alexandria, Va., for the 10 a.m. program on the 5th.
Myrna Colley-Lee of Charleston and Dr. William G. Riley of Meridian will receive honorary doctorates in creative arts and science, respectively.
Students in the Bagley College of Engineering and the colleges of Veterinary Medicine; Agriculture and Life Sciences, including the School of Human Sciences; Forest Resources; and Education will receive diplomas Friday night. Degrees from the colleges of Arts and Sciences; Architecture, Art and Design; and Business and Industry, including the School of Accountancy, will be awarded Saturday morning.
Gray Swoope is executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority, the state's lead economic and community development agency. A West Point native, he completed undergraduate and graduate degrees in business administration. He earlier held economic development positions throughout Mississippi, as well as Little Rock, Ark.
Clinton native Mary Swoope is a veteran educator who has worked at the public school, community college and university levels. Now a leading producer for Roddy Rumbley Real Estate in Madison, she holds a bachelor's degree in marketing education and a master's in vocational education. She also is very active in numerous community service organizations.
Mark Keenum is the former longtime chief of staff to Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., who was named by President Bush late last year as U.S. Under Secretary of Agriculture, Farm and Foreign Agricultural Service. A Corinth native who previously was an MSU Cooperative Extension Service specialist and university faculty member, he holds bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in agricultural economics.
Booneville native Rhonda Keenum is a marketing graduate who, until recently, was director of the White House's Office of Public Liaison and deputy assistant to the president. She now is a founding partner of The WIT Group, a Washington, D.C., public affairs firm specializing in strategic counsel, government relations and communication services. She also is former U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Administration.
Colley-Lee is a nationally acclaimed theatrical costume designer who joined with others to establish the national SonEdna Foundation Inc., which works to support writers in achieving their creative goals. A graduate of the University of North Carolina and Temple University, she has been an enthusiastic advocate for the arts in her adopted state, including service on the Mississippi Arts Commission and other related organizations. Last year, papers and numerous costume creations she donated to the MSU Libraries created a unique collection focusing on regional theater, but with touches of the classics.
Riley is a lifelong Lauderdale County resident who has made major contributions as both a physician and philanthropist. A Vanderbilt University alumnus, he practiced pediatric medicine in Meridian from 1950-84. He also has served as a hospital administrator and was vice chairman of the Riley Memorial Hospital, helping the Queen City facility develop into a major care institution serving East Mississippi and West Alabama.
Along with brother Richard Riley, he led in creating the Riley Foundation from proceeds of the hospital's sale. Their foundation has provided, to date, nearly $30 million in grants and was a major benefactor in creating the MSU Riley Center for Education and Performing Arts in downtown Meridian.
------------------------------
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: Media seating for both programs will be in the radio broadcast area of Humphrey Coliseum off Portal E. Because of limited space and to assure adequate seating, we ask that you please contact the University Relations Office at 662-325-3442 if a representative of your organization will attend one or both events.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.