Among the 1,226 students, who received or are about to receive degrees, are 689 undergraduates and 534 with graduate degrees. About 550 students have indicated they plan to participate in the ceremony. They will be recognized individually, walking to the area in front of the stage where their names will be announced and they will receive congratulations from President Jerome Gilbert and a scroll from the Marshall Alumni Association.
Registrar Dr. Sonja Cantrell said 191 students will graduate with honors. Twenty-five will graduate summa cum laude (3.85 to 4.0 GPA), 49 magna cum laude (3.6 to 3.84 GPA), and 105 cum laude (3.3 to 3.59 GPA).
One student receiving an associate degree will graduate with high honors, and 11 associate degree recipients will graduate with honors.
Based on tentative grade point averages, four students will complete their baccalaureate degrees with perfect 4.0 GPAs. They are Lakin Paige Boggs of Huntington, who will receive her Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting; Anne Myge Gulsrod of Huntington, who received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in August; Ashley Elizabeth Morgan of Ronceverte, West Virginia, who will receive a Bachelor of Science in athletic training; and Rebecca Erin Thacker of Milton, West Virginia, who will receive her Bachelor of Science in biochemistry.
Dr. Greta Rensenbrink, an associate professor of history at Marshall University and recipient of the Reynolds Outstanding Teaching Award last spring, will be the featured speaker. Rensenbrink has been teaching at Marshall since 2006 when she was hired as an assistant professor in the history department. At Marshall, she was the founding director of Sexuality Studies from 2008 to 2010, and director of Women’s Studies from 2010 to 2013.
Rensenbrink, who was born in Tanzania, earned her B.A. in United States history in May 1993 from the University of Massachusetts, her master’s in history in August 1998 from the University of Chicago and her Ph.D. in history, also from the University of Chicago, in August 2003. She grew up Topsham, Maine.
Marshall began conducting a winter graduation ceremony in 2008 with a convocation at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center. The speaker was Dr. Montserrat Miller, a professor of history. Winter commencement began in 2009 at Cam Henderson Center and the tradition of having an MU professor deliver the keynote address continued.
Previous winter commencement speakers were Dr. Simon Perry, professor of political science, in 2009; Dr. Bonita Lawrence, professor of mathematics, in 2010; Dr. Jamie Warner, professor of political science, in 2011; Dan Hollis, associate professor of journalism and mass communications, in 2012, Dr. Kateryna Schray, an English professor, in 2013; Dr. Judith Silver, emeritus professor of mathematics, in 2014; and, Dr. Andrew Nichols, a professor of engineering, in 2015.
PARKING
Parking is available in the parking garage on Third Avenue across from the Big Sandy Superstore Arena. Parking in this garage is available on weekends at no charge. Additionally, parking is available in the Pullman Square garages for a minimal fee. All three parking garages are in reasonable walking distance of the arena.
PHOTOGRAPHS
The professional photographer Grad Images (www.gradimages.com) will email proof information to graduates a few days after the ceremony. Purchase of photographs is entirely optional.
CEREMONY AVAILABLE ON WEB
The Commencement ceremonies will be streamed live on the Web. The link will be available on the main Marshall University website at www.marshall.edu/it/livestream.
COMMENCEMENT VIDEO
As a way of recognizing the achievement by the graduates, a downloadable copy of the Commencement ceremony is available, free of charge, courtesy of the MUAA. Relive this major life milestone by visiting www.herdalum.com to download a free copy of the commencement ceremony.