Michigan State University will host commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center.
There are 1,954 undergraduate degree candidates and 767 advanced degree candidates graduating. The College of Social Science has the most undergraduate students with 330.
The undergraduate ceremonies will be at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Breslin Center.
Doug Meijer, who sits on the board of directors for Meijer Inc., will speak at the morning ceremony and will receive an honorary doctorate of humanities. He will address graduates from the colleges of Arts and Letters, Broad Business, Education, James Madison, Music, Social Science and the Residential College in Arts and Humanities.
Susan Packard, an MSU alumna and co-founder of HGTV and Scripps Networks Interactive, will speak at the afternoon ceremony and will receive an honorary doctorate of humanities. She was also the 2019 MSU homecoming grand marshal. Packard will address graduates from the colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Communication Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Lyman Briggs, Natural Science and Nursing.
The advanced degree ceremony will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Vice-Chancellor Tawana Kupe from the University of Pretoria, one of South Africa’s top research universities, will speak and accept an honorary doctorate of humanities.
Harold Mooney, ecologist and professor in the Department of Biology at Stanford University, will also receive an honorary doctorate of science at the advanced degree ceremony.
In addition, world-renowned expert on inland fisheries Robin Welcomme will receive an honorary doctorate of science but won’t be in attendance at the ceremony.
More information on speakers and honorary degree recipients can be found on MSUToday.
Commencement ceremonies will be livestreamed on the commencement website and WKAR websites on the day of the events. Ceremonies can also be viewed in WKAR’s Livestream app on smart TVs and streaming devices.
For the safety and security of all attendees, no bags or purses will be permitted in the Breslin Center. Cameras and camcorders are permitted, though cases are prohibited. No food or beverages – including bottled water – will be allowed in Breslin, and this applies to graduates, guests and faculty. As such, Breslin will offer a limited menu of concessions for sale during the ceremonies. Additional prohibited items include noisemakers, selfie sticks, pets, signs or weapons of any form. Smoking also is prohibited at the Breslin Center.
Metal detectors will be at all entrances to the facility, so please plan accordingly for processing.
Media Parking
Parking passes for media are available from 9 a.m. Thursday to noon Friday at the Media Communications Office, 408 W. Circle Drive, Room 403, Olds Hall. Media parking is available in the west side of Lot 63 off Harrison Road, immediately south of the Breslin Center.
Media must obtain a parking pass from Media Communications. This pass must be displayed to enter the lot.
Breslin Center Entry
Media must enter Breslin through the Berkowitz entrance on the east side of Breslin (on Birch Road).
Media must check in at Platform 111, where there will be an audio feed.