More than 1,400 students will be honored at Northern Kentucky University’s 44th Commencement on Saturday, December 17 at BB&T Arena.
Commencement exercises will begin at 10 a.m. for graduates of the College of Education and Human Services, the College of Health Professions, and the College of Informatics. Commencement exercises will be held at 3 p.m. for graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Haile/US Bank College of Business.
“On behalf of the entire University community, we are pleased to come together and celebrate the academic success of our outstanding students,” said NKU President Geoffrey S. Mearns. “I look forward to sharing this special day with our students, their families, and their friends.”
The Commencement address will be delivered by Dr. Missy Jones, professor of Special Education and recipient of NKU’s Frank Sinton Milburn Outstanding Professor Award.
Jones is a teacher, researcher, and founder of NKU’s Supported Higher Education Project (SHEP), which promotes peer mentoring partnerships to expand access for students with intellectual disabilities.
Students and their families will also hear remarks from President Mearns, as well as from two graduates: Jacob Meece in the morning and Kylie Stigar-Burke in the afternoon.
Meece, who has a hearing disability, will deliver his remarks in American Sign Language with the assistance of a voice interpreter. A 2012 graduate of the Kentucky School for the Deaf and valedictorian of his class, Meece will graduate cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Electronic Media and Broadcasting and a minor in Media Informatics. He plans to work as a video producer.
Stigar-Burke has traveled the world through NKU’s study away and study abroad programs, which inspired her to begin blogging. Her work has appeared in publications such as Thought Catalog, The Huffington Post, and Elite Daily. A graduate of Cincinnati’s Roger Bacon High School, Stigar-Burke will graduate magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English.
In all, 1,412 graduates will celebrate Commencement at Saturday’s ceremonies. They include students who completed degrees in August, as well as those who completed degrees in December. A posthumous degree will also be awarded to Kirsten Smithson, who was pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science before she passed away in November 2015. For more information, visit commencement.nku.edu.
From NKU Public Relations