April 27, 2007 :: 30,000 Oklahomans Receiving College Degrees This Year

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If early estimates hold true, Oklahoma may have a record number of college graduates ready to enter the workforce this spring.

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education estimates that approximately 30,800 students will earn degrees during the 2006-07 academic year at Oklahoma’s public colleges and universities.

Preliminary information relating to degrees awarded in 2006-07 was gathered in a survey of higher education institutions. Official data will be available later.

Of those 30,800 graduates, more than half will receive bachelor’s degrees. The most popular fields of study among the estimated 16,700 students receiving bachelor’s degrees are business and education.

Nursing, business and general studies are the programs most frequently selected by the estimated 8,600 students earning associate degrees.

An estimated 4,100 students will receive master’s degrees in a variety of fields, most notably in education, counseling and business.

Estimates show that 500 students will earn doctoral degrees, while 900 others will receive professional degrees in areas such as law and medicine.

“I’m thrilled to see a record number of students graduating from Oklahoma colleges and universities because it affirms we’re making strides toward helping more and more students achieve success,” said Chancellor Glen D. Johnson. “These graduates are Oklahoma’s future. I want to congratulate every of one them for their accomplishment and thank them for the tremendous contributions that I know they will make with education that they have earned.”

Johnson will deliver commencement addresses at Connors State College in Warner on May 11 and at Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton on May 4.

Two Oklahoma colleges have already held graduation ceremonies. Both the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha and Oklahoma State University Technical Branch-Okmulgee awarded their degrees April 20.

Other public colleges and universities will host spring graduation ceremonies during April and May. Ceremonies are listed alphabetically by city and include dates, times, locations and commencement speakers’ names, when available.

East Central University will hold two commencement ceremonies May 12 in the Kerr Activities Center in Ada. Susan Paddock, Oklahoma State Senate majority whip, will serve as commencement speaker during the ceremonies at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Western Oklahoma State College will hold its 79th annual commencement at 8 p.m. May 11 at the Herschal H. Crow Auditorium in Altus. Col. Michael R. Mendonca, vice commander of the 97th Air Mobility Wing at Altus Air Force Base, will serve as commencement speaker.
Northwestern Oklahoma State University will welcome Mark Stansberry, chairman of the Regional University System of Oklahoma, as commencement speaker during its 108th annual graduation ceremony at 10:30 a.m. May 5 at Ranger Field in Alva.
Rogers State University President Dr. Joe Wiley will serve as commencement speaker for RSU’s 95th annual graduation ceremonies May 5 at the Claremore Expo Center. Associate degrees will be presented at 10 a.m., and bachelor’s degrees will be presented at 1 p.m.
Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s 97th annual commencement will take place at 9 a.m. May 12 at Paul Laird Football Field in Durant. Sharla Frost, an attorney and a graduate of SOSU, will be the commencement speaker.
The University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond will hold its commencement ceremonies over two days inside Hamilton Field House. Bachelor’s degrees for the College of Education and Professional Studies will be presented May 4 at 3 p.m., and master’s degrees will be presented at 7 p.m. that evening, along with bachelor’s degrees for the College of Mathematics and Science. The College of Business commencement is scheduled for 10 a.m. May 5. The College of Arts, Media and Design and the College of Liberal Arts will hold their ceremony at 2 p.m. May 5.
Lt. Gov. Jari Askins will serve as speaker during Redlands Community College’s 68th annual commencement at 8 p.m. May 18 inside the field house on campus in El Reno.
Oklahoma Panhandle State University’s 97th annual commencement will be held at 10 a.m. May 19 at Oscar Williams Field House in Goodwell. Serving as commencement speaker will be Brig. Gen. Terry R. Council of the Oklahoma Army National Guard.
Former President Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson, the first female president of Liberia, will speak to graduates during Langston University’s commencement at 11 a.m. May 12 at W.E. Anderson Stadium.
Cameron University, Lawton, will hold its 96th annual commencement ceremony on May 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Cameron stadium. Gen. Bryan Brown, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, will deliver the commencement address. The ceremony will conclude with a new tradition – a fireworks display.
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College’s 86th annual commencement will be held at 8 p.m. May 3 in the Student Activity Center on its campus in Miami. Serving as commencement speaker will be Phyllis Worley, president of the Oklahoma Natural Gas Company.
Rose State College, Midwest City, will hold its 37th commencement ceremony for graduates at 7 p.m. May 11 at First Southern Baptist Church, Del City. Dr. James Cook, president emeritus of the college, will give the commencement address.
Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, will speak to graduates of the University of Oklahoma during its 115th annual commencement at 7 p.m. May 11 inside the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman.
Oklahoma City Community College will welcome Dr. Bob Blackburn, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, as commencement speaker during its graduation ceremony at 7:30 p.m. May 18 in the Cox Convention Center.
Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City will hold its 44th annual commencement at 7:30 p.m. May 14 at the Cox Convention Center. State Regent Cheryl Hunter will serve as commencement speaker.
Carl Albert State College President Dr. Joe E. White will serve as commencement speaker for CASC’s graduation ceremonies at 7 p.m. May 11 at the Mick Thompson Fitness Center on campus in Poteau.
Seminole State College’s 74th annual commencement will be held at 10:30 a.m. May 11 in Raymond Harber Field House on campus. Serving as commencement speaker will be state Supreme Court Justice Steven Taylor.
OSU, Stillwater, will celebrate its 115th commencement over two days. Chief Justice Frank J. Williams of the Rhode Island Supreme Court will give the commencement address. The Graduate College commencement is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 4 in Gallagher-Iba Arena. For undergraduates, the Spears School of Business and the colleges of Human Environmental Sciences and of Engineering, Architecture and Technology will hold their commencement May 5 at 10 a.m. in Gallagher-Iba Arena, and the colleges of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Arts and Sciences, and Education will hold their ceremony at 2 p.m. The ceremony for the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, will hold its 98th commencement ceremony May 5 at Gable Field in Doc Wadley Stadium. The colleges of Business and Technology, Liberal Arts and Optometry will hold their commencement at 9 a.m. The colleges of Education and of Science and Health Professions will hold their ceremony at noon. Jay Hannah, executive vice president of financial services for BancFirst, will give the commencement address. NSU-Broken Arrow will hold its ceremony at 7 p.m. May 7 at the Union Multipurpose Activity Center in Tulsa.
Lt. Gov. Jari Askins will serve as speaker during Murray State College’s 99th annual commencement at 7 p.m. May 11 on the front lawn of the campus Administration Building in Tishomingo.
Northern Oklahoma College’s 101st annual commencement ceremonies will be held at 9:30 a.m. April 28 in Foster-Piper Fieldhouse in Tonkawa and at 3 p.m. in Briggs Auditorium on NOC’s Enid campus.
The OSU Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, will hold its commencement at 10 a.m. May 12 at VanTrease Performing Arts Center for Education on the TCC Southeast Campus. Aunna Herbst, class president, will be the commencement speaker.
OSU-Tulsa’s eighth annual commencement will take place at 7 p.m. May 7 at the Expo Square Pavilion in mid-town Tulsa. Chet Cadieux, QuikTrip CEO and chair of the Tulsa Metro Chamber, will be the commencement speaker.
Kathy Taylor, mayor of Tulsa, will serve as speaker during Tulsa Community College’s 37th annual commencement ceremony at 7:30 p.m. May 4 at the Oral Roberts University Mabee Center.
Dr. Glen D. Johnson, chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, will be the commencement speaker during Connors State College’s 98th annual ceremony at 7 p.m. May 11 in Warner.
Southwestern Oklahoma State University will hold its 103rd annual commencement at 10 a.m. May 12 at Milam Stadium in Weatherford. Gary L. Lumpkin, judge for the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, will serve as commencement speaker. He will also be inducted into the SWOSU Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame during the ceremony. SWOSU-Sayre will hold its ceremony at 7 p.m. May 11 at the Sayre High School Auditorium. State Sen. Tom Ivester will serve as commencement speaker.
Eastern Oklahoma State College will welcome Dr. Glen D. Johnson, chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, as commencement speaker during its 98th annual graduation ceremony at 6:30 p.m. May 4 in Wilburton.

Oklahoma’s private colleges and universities also will host spring graduation ceremonies during April and May. Ceremonies are listed alphabetically by city and include dates, times, locations and commencement speakers’ names, when available.

State Sen. Owen Laughlin will speak to the graduates of Southern Nazarene University, Bethany, at their commencement May 12 at 10 a.m. in the Sawyer Center.
Southwestern Christian University, Bethany, will hold its commencement ceremony April 28 at 2 p.m. in the Pickens Springer Gymnasium. Speaker Lance Cargill, Oklahoma House of Representatives, will deliver the commencement address.
Bacone College, Muskogee, will hold graduation ceremonies at 2 p.m. May 5 at the Muskogee High School Fine Arts Auditorium. Chief Kenneth Adams of the Upper Mattaponi Tribe of Virginia will serve as commencement speaker.
Mid-America Christian University, Oklahoma City, will hold commencement ceremonies at 2 p.m. May 5 in the Gaulke Activity Center. Mart Green, founder of Mardel Christian and Educational Supply, will address the graduates.
Michael A. Cawley, president and CEO of the Noble Foundation in Ardmore, will address graduates of Oklahoma Christian University, Oklahoma City, at its commencement ceremony at 2 p.m. April 27.
Two commencement ceremonies are scheduled for Oklahoma City University. Its undergraduate ceremony is May 5 at 11 a.m. in the Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center. Jayne Jayroe Gamble, former Miss America, will deliver the address. Graduate commencement will be at 3 p.m. May 5, and Art LeFrancois, OCU professor of law, will deliver the address.
Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, will hold graduation ceremonies at 10 a.m. May 19 in John Wesley Raley Chapel. Dr. Bill Hagen, professor of English at OBU, will deliver the commencement address.
St. Gregory’s University President Dr. David A. Wagie will speak to graduates during its commencement ceremony May 5 at 1:30 p.m. in W.P. Wood Field House on campus in Shawnee.
Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, will have its commencement at 1 p.m. May 5 in the Mabee Center on campus. Joel Osteen, senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, will be the speaker.
The University of Tulsa will hold its spring commencement at 10 a.m. May 5 in the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Serving as commencement speaker will be James P. Ronda, Barnard Professor of Western American History at TU.