Spring Commencement ceremonies for approximately 540 graduates of Missouri Western State University will be held at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the arena of the M.O. Looney Complex. Esther George ’80, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, will receive an honorary doctorate and will speak at both ceremonies.
The ceremonies are free and open to the public. For those unable to attend, they will be streamed live online at www.missouriwestern.edu. The MWSU Alumni Association will host a reception for graduates and their families after both ceremonies in the Looney small gym.
George, a native of Faucett, Missouri, who graduated from Missouri Western with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1980, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree during the 11 a.m. ceremony, and will provide the Commencement Address at both.
“Esther George’s rise to one of the most powerful positions in the American economy is proof that there are no limits to what our graduates can accomplish, and I hope that members of the Class of 2015 are inspired by her story,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western’s president. “What a fitting speaker for our centennial year!”
George is president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and a member of the Federal Open Market Committee, which has authority over U.S. monetary policy. Prior to her appointment as president on Oct. 1, 2011, she had been the Bank’s chief operating officer since August 2009.
George joined the Fed in 1982 and served much of her career in the Division of Supervision and Risk Management. She began by becoming a commissioned bank examiner and eventually served for ten years as the District’s chief regulator. In that capacity, she was responsible for oversight of the District’s state-chartered member banks and nearly 1,000 bank and financial holding companies, as well as the Bank’s discount window and risk management functions. She was directly involved in the Tenth District’s banking supervision and discount window lending activities during the banking crisis of the 1980s and post-9/11.
George has served Missouri Western as a member of the Craig School of Business Advisory Board and the Missouri Western State University Foundation Board of Directors.
Julia Buescher, a recreation sport management graduate from Shawnee Mission, Kansas, will give the Student Address at the 11 a.m. ceremony. Graduates of the following programs will participate in the morning ceremony:
- Craig School of Business
- College of Professional Studies (criminal justice, legal studies and social work; education; engineering technology; health, physical education and recreation; nursing and allied health
- Graduate School programs in nursing, assessment, engineering technology, forensic investigation, sport and fitness management
Kendra Greer, a speech communication graduate from Independence, Missouri, will give the Student Address at the 3 p.m. ceremony for graduates of the following programs:
- School of Fine Arts (art; music; theatre, cinema and dance)
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (biology; chemistry; communication studies and journalism; computer science, math and physics; economics, political science and sociology; English and modern languages; history and geography; philosophy and religion; psychology
- Graduate School programs in digital media, written communication, chemistry, human factors, information technology
Other commencement-related activities include a physical therapist assistant pinning ceremony at 7 p.m. Friday, May 8 in the Kemper Recital Hall, Spratt 101, and a nursing pinning ceremony at 8:30 a.m. May 9 in the Fulkerson Center. Graduates of the Army ROTC program will participate in a commissioning ceremony on May 17 at the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.