Rogers State University celebrated more than 500 graduates during its 110th commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 7 at the Claremore Expo Center. Since becoming a university in 2000, RSU has awarded more than 10,400 diplomas.
“Commencement marks a significant milestone in the lives of our students. Today is a day of celebration as we honor your accomplishments and celebrate you as graduates,” RSU President Dr. Larry Rice said.
The ceremony honored retiring faculty Dr. Roy Gardner, Dr. Mary Mackie, and Roya Namavar. During the ceremony, Dr. Sonya Munsell was presented the 2022 Pixley Excellence in Education Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a member of the RSU faculty. The award recognizes excellence in all areas of faculty accomplishment including teaching, scholarship, creativity and service. The Pixley award is made possible by the Pixley Endowment for Excellence in Education at RSU.
This year’s commencement speaker was University of Oklahoma Regent Anita Holloway. In her remarks she shared advice from her experience encouraging the graduates to commit to lifelong learning, be courageous when opportunities come along and to show resilience in times of disappointment. In her closing remarks, she admonished graduates to identify what is important to them and to live life kindly.
Both commencement ceremonies were recorded and can be viewed online at www.rsu.edu/commencement.