By Jeff Murphy,
May 3, 2016
WARRENSBURG, MO – Along with a record number of graduates, the University of Central
Missouri’s Spring 2016 Commencement will include the first students from The Missouri
Innovation Campus to receive UCM diplomas when ceremonies take place the weekend of
May 6-7 in the Multipurpose Building.
According to the Office of the Registrar, a total of 2,378 undergraduate and graduate
students who have met requirements to complete their degrees this spring or during
the summer 2016 are eligible to participate in this weekend’s graduation exercises.
This exceeds last year’s record combined spring and summer total by 153 students.
This also will be the second year the university has utilized a commencement format
that features five ceremonies over a two-day period. Instead of three separate events,
which are utilized during the fall commencement, spring 2016 will include two ceremonies
on Friday, and three on Saturday.
Festivities begin with the graduate ceremony for students in the College of Health,
Science, and Technology at 2:30 p.m., followed by the undergraduate ceremony for graduates
in the same college at 6:30 p.m.
Joining college graduates for the evening ceremony will be members of the first cohort
of students who are completing four-year degrees from The Missouri Innovation Campus.
Eleven students have met degree requirements in this program, which was established
in 2012, and was a prime reason for U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to UCM in
July 2013.
The MIC, which will be housed in a new facility by fall 2017, involves the Lee’s Summit
R-7 School District and its Summit Technology Academy, UCM, Metropolitan Community
College, and more than 40 Kansas City area businesses. Students enter this rigorous
program their junior year of high school while attending the STA, and by approximately
the same time they complete their senior year of high school, they also finish an
associate degree from MCC. They go on to complete their baccalaureate degree at UCM
much earlier than students who follow a more traditional higher education path, while
also benefiting from paid internships with high-tech companies that help to lower
the cost of their education and helps significantly reduce their college debt.
Commencement exercises continue on Saturday at 9 a.m. with the graduate and undergraduate
ceremony for new graduates in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
and for students who are obtaining General Studies degrees. The College of Education’s
ceremony for graduate students, undergraduates and graduates of the THRIVE program
begins at noon, and the graduation ceremony for graduate and undergraduate degree
candidates in the Harmon College of Business and Professional Studies begins at 3
p.m.
THRIVE is an innovative, two-year certificate program designed to assist college-age
students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to become independent, self-sufficient
members of their community. The THRIVE acronym represents the six threads of the self-determination
program: Transformation, Health, Responsibility, Independence, Vocation, and Education.
The 12 students who are eligible to receive their certificates during the May 2016
commencement are the fourth group to successfully complete the program at UCM.
In addition to honoring graduates, Charno Awards also will be presented to the top
male and female citizens of the senior class during commencement weekend. The Byler
Distinguished Faculty Award will recognize the top faculty member for the 2015-2016
academic year. Byler recipient Joe Lynne Koehn, Ph.D., BKD Distinguished Professor
of Accountancy, will be honored during the 3 p.m. ceremony on Saturday. Charno Award
winner Josephine Diekemper, a dietetics major from Springfield, will be honored at
6:30 p.m. Friday, and David Rogers, a political science and international studies
major from Warrensburg, will be recognized at 9 a.m. Saturday.
A complete schedule of commencement activities is available online at ucno.edu/commencement/spring.cfm.
Undergraduate students who have specific questions or just need more information can
visit the Office of the Registrar in Ward Edwards 1000, call 660-543-4914 or email
registrar@ucmo.edu. Graduate students should visit The Graduate School in Ward Edwards
1800, call 660-543-4621 or email gradinfo@ucmo.edu.
