students at commencement

May 1, 2024–Missouri Western State University will celebrate the achievements of 375 graduates during two Spring Commencement Ceremonies at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, May 4 in the MWSU Fieldhouse in the M.O. Looney Complex. The public is invited. Doors open to guests at 10:15 a.m. for the morning ceremony and 2:15 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony. 

Missouri Western will confer 316 undergraduate degrees and 59 graduate degrees this semester. Graduates come from Missouri and 23 other states as well as ten foreign countries.

natalie hawn macioe firsching ethan lowe

Speakers at the Spring 2024 Commencement ceremonies include (l-r) Natalie Hawn ’00, Macioe Firsching ’24 and Ethan Lowe ’24.

The 11 a.m. ceremony will feature graduates from the College of Science and Health, while the 3 p.m. ceremony will feature graduates from General Studies, the College of Business and Professional Studies and the College of Liberal Arts. Brief receptions will follow each ceremony in the Looney practice gym, sponsored by the Missouri Western Alumni Association. 

The guest speaker for both ceremonies will be Natalie Hawn, a Missouri Western alumna who is president and CEO of the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce. Student representatives will also speak at both ceremonies. Macioe Firsching, a biology, chemistry, and biochemistry/molecular biology major from Edwardsville, Illinois, will speak at the 11 a.m. ceremony. Ethan Lowe, an early childhood education major from St. Joseph, will speak at the 3 p.m. ceremony.

Other public commencement-related activities include:

  • International and Multicultural Sash Ceremony, 5 p.m. Friday, May 3, Hoff Conference Rooms, Blum Union rooms 218-219
  • Physical Therapist Assistant Pinning Ceremony, 7 p.m. Friday, May 3, Kemper Recital Hall, Spratt Hall room 101
  • Nurses Pinning Ceremony, 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 4, Fulkerson Center
  • Respiratory Therapy Pinning Ceremony, 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 4, Murphy Hall room 224

Missouri Western State University is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. 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 missouriwestern.edu.