It’s pomp and circumstance time again at Kansas State University with the return of formal commencement ceremonies this spring. The in-person ceremonies will honor all university graduates from 2020 as well as graduation candidates for May and summer 2021.
The ceremonies are not open to the public, with entry by ticket only. The graduates/graduate-to-be could invite up to eight guests each. Face coverings will be required for students and their guests. Physical distancing will also be in place at each venue. K-State Athletics’ clear bag policy will be enforced. Guests will be allowed to bring in unopened bottles of water and umbrellas.
However, the Kansas State University Polytechnic graduation will have one distinctive change from its usual commencement ceremony. Instead of having it on-campus–as in years past–the school will host a graduation at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center, 800 The Midway, on Saturday, May 8.
More information on the ceremonies and accommodations for students and guests is available at k-state.edu/graduation/guide/
More than 3,000 students are candidates for graduation this spring from Kansas State University. To be awarded are an estimated 2,140 bachelor’s degrees, 700 master’s degrees and 100 doctorates. More than 115 students are earning a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. In the 2020 academic year, K-State graduated nearly 5,560 students and awarded more than 5,600 degrees, which included more than 4,100 bachelor’s degrees and more than 1,450 graduate degrees. Nearly 1,200 of the 2020 graduates and 2021 graduates-to-be earned their degrees through distance education.
Ceremonies kick off at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 8, at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina for Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus. The commencement speaker will be Richard B. Myers, university president. The student address will be given by Zechariah Rose, a summer 2021 bachelor’s candidate in applied business and technology, Salina, and K-State Polytechnic Student Governing Association president; and Shanna Walker, a 2020 bachelor’s graduate in technology management, Topeka.
For the health and safety of all involved, ceremonies on the Manhattan campus will be outside in Bill Snyder Family Stadium and spread over three days: Friday, May 14; Saturday, May 15; and Sunday, May 16. Students will be seated, physically distanced, on the field. Access to the field will be limited to the graduates/graduates-to-be and members of the ceremony platforms only.
Manhattan ceremonies will be livestreamed at k-state.edu/graduation.
Manhattan ceremonies start at 9 a.m. May 14 with the Graduate School. Hannah Shear, doctoral candidate in agricultural economics, Winchester, Kentucky, and the 2020-2021 president of the K-State Graduate Student Council, will be the speaker, while Kansas Board of Regents member Helen Van Etten, Topeka, will represent the board at the ceremonies.
Ceremonies on May 14 will wrap up at 4 p.m. with commencement for the College of Veterinary Medicine. The speaker will be Ryane Engler, a former College of Veterinary Medicine faculty member who now serves as director of veterinary skills development and an associate professor at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine. Joshuah Klutzke, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine candidate and president of the 2021 veterinary medicine class, Greenwood, Indiana, will present the student address.
Ceremonies on May 15:
• College of Arts and Sciences, 9 a.m. The speaker will be Amit Chakrabarti, dean of the college.
• College of Education, 4 p.m. The speaker is Todd Goodson, assistant dean of the college and chair of the curriculum and instruction department.
• College of Health and Human Sciences, 7:30 p.m. Speaker will be John Buckwalter, the Betty L. Tointon dean of the college.
Ceremonies on May 16:
• College of Agriculture, 8 a.m. Speaker will be Don Boggs, associate dean emeritus of the college. The student speaker will be Renata Goossen, bachelor’s candidate in horticulture, Potwin.
• College of Business Administration, 1 p.m. The speaker will be Ann Keehn, a K-State alumna and senior consultant with John Snow Inc., an international public health care consulting firm. Student remarks will be given by Marone Shimekt, bachelor’s candidate in management, Lenexa.
• Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, 6 p.m. Speaker will be Leanne Caret, a K-State alumna and president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security.
The College of Architecture, Planning & Design, whose graduate degree recipients participate in the Graduate School ceremony, will have a closed recognition event on May 15.
