Columbus State to Graduate More Than 1,000 Students in Spring Commencement Ceremonies

Staff Report

Columbus State University will celebrate the academic achievements of 1,055 graduates during its spring commencement ceremonies on May 8 and 9, marking the university’s 129th commencement exercises.

The university will host a series of graduation-related events beginning Thursday, May 8, and culminating in three college-specific commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 9. All events will take place on Columbus State’s Main Campus.

On May 8, the School of Nursing will hold a pinning ceremony at 10:30 a.m., followed by an ROTC commissioning ceremony at 1 p.m. and a graduate hooding ceremony at 6 p.m. All events will be held at either the Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center or University Hall Auditorium.

May 9 events include commencement ceremonies for each academic college:

• 9 a.m. — College of the Arts and D. Abbott Turner College of Business & Technology
• 12:30 p.m. — College of Letters & Sciences
• 4 p.m. — College of Education & Health Professions

Each ceremony will feature a unique commencement speaker. Artist and CSU alumnus Steve Têtte will speak at the morning ceremony. Former state legislator Calvin Smyre, Georgia’s longest-serving lawmaker, will address the midday graduates, and retired CSU educator Ellen Roberts will speak at the final ceremony.

The university will also award honorary degrees to Smyre and arts patron Ann Strub. Strub will be honored at the 9 a.m. ceremony, while Smyre will receive his degree at 12:30 p.m.

Columbus State has awarded more than 42,000 degrees since its founding as Columbus College in 1958. Graduates automatically join the Columbus State Alumni Association.

All commencement ceremonies and the hooding event will be live-streamed and available for future viewing on the university’s graduation website, which also includes ceremony details and a downloadable program.

For more information, visit columbusstate.edu/graduation or contact Michael Tullier, executive director of Strategic Communication and Marketing, at 706-507-8729 or mtullier@columbusstate.edu.