Kent State University at Ashtabula will host its first on-campus graduation ceremony in over three years when it honors the spring graduating class and holds the 76th commencement exercises on Thursday, May 11, 2023 beginning at 7 p.m. in the Main Hall gymnasium.
After two virtual graduations at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the previous four ceremonies were held at SPIRE in Geneva. The last on-campus graduation ceremony was in December of 2019.
“Commencement is a major milestone in the lives of our students,” said Interim Dean and Chief Administrative Officer R. William (Bill) Ayres IV, Ph.D. “It will be especially significant as we return to host the event on campus and to the familiar and intimate environment it deserves.”
Nearly 100 graduates will be recognized at the event. Graduating seniors Courtney Johnson (Dorset, Ohio) and Michael Bugary (Pierpont, Ohio) will deliver the student addresses. In addition, the Ashtabula Area College Committee, Inc. Community Service Award recipient, former state representative John R. Patterson, Jr., Ph.D., and Roger T. Beitler Distinguished Former Student Award winner and 2022-2023 Supreme Court Fellow Brad Baranowski, Ph.D., J.D., will be recognized.
“It’s such a special night to celebrate the accomplishments and achievements of these graduates,” Ayres said. “The faculty and staff of Kent State Ashtabula are committed to helping students achieve their dreams and providing the support and resources they need to be successful in their studies and impactful in their careers, in their communities and in society.”
The event will be streamed live and archived to the campus YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/ksuashtabula.
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