New Mexico State University commencement weekend kicks off with a hooding ceremony for doctoral candidates at the Pan American Center at 6 p.m. Friday, May 12.
Students receiving their bachelor’s or master’s degrees will be honored during two ceremonies Saturday, May 13. At the 9 a.m. ceremony, degree candidates from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, College of Business, College of Engineering and College of Health and Social Services will be recognized. Then at 2 p.m., degree candidates from the College of Arts and Sciences and College of Education will be honored.
Over 40 doctoral candidates are expected to attend Friday’s hooding ceremony, and over 1,700 bachelor’s and master’s degree candidates are expected to attend Saturday’s ceremonies.
A total of 2,000 candidates at the Las Cruces campus will receive the following degrees:
- Associate degrees: 11
- Bachelor’s degrees: 1,473
- Master’s degrees: 447
- Doctoral degrees: 69
The following number of degrees will be awarded from each NMSU College:
- Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences: 187
- Arts and Sciences: 568
- Business: 219
- Education: 122
- Engineering: 219
- Health and Social Services: 169
- Graduate School: 516
Also, there are 1,125 associate degree or certificate candidates from NMSU Dona Ana Community College, 86 from NMSU Alamogordo, 72 from NMSU Carlsbad and 61 from NMSU Grants.
A posthumous degree will be awarded to Jeremiah Eby-Martin from the College of Arts and Sciences. His wife – Lauren Isaacson – will walk across the stage on his behalf during the 2 p.m. ceremony.
NMSU alumnus and Starbucks Chief Executive Officer Kevin Johnson and former NMSU Regent Laree Estes Perez will receive honorary degrees Saturday due to their inspirational examples of successful careers, their commitment to service and their generosity to NMSU. Johnson will be honored at the 9 a.m. ceremony, and Perez will be honored at the 2 p.m. ceremony.
A Los Alamos, New Mexico, native, Johnson received a bachelor of arts in business administration with a major in business systems from NMSU. His professional success led him to Starbucks Corporation, which he joined in 2009 as a member of its board of directors. In March 2015 he became president and chief operating officer, and he was named chief executive officer, effective in April of this year. Johnson and his wife, June, provided charitable investments in support of NMSU’s Arrowhead Center and the College of Business Information Systems mentorship program.
Perez’s deep respect for NMSU stems from the history of family members attending the university and from the university’s important role in agriculture. In 1991, New Mexico Governor Bruce King appointed Perez to the NMSU Board of Regents, on which she served for six years. She was president of the board from 1994 to 1996. The New Mexico native named the NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences – including the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management – in her estate for the purpose of establishing scholarships.
The Pan American Center will open one hour prior to each ceremony. Tickets are not required. Graduates should check in east of the Pan Am in Lot 32.
Arrowhead Drive between Triviz Drive and Stewart Street along the Pan Am will be closed during commencement. Graduates and the general public should park in the lots to the north and east of the Pan Am, with handicapped parking to the north and northeast of the building.
Media covering the event should park in the south lot and obtain a media pass in the tent located in Lot 32, east of the Pan Am.
For more information, visit https://commencement.nmsu.edu.
Information from NMSU