Graduation season is officially in full swing.
One of the most notable aspects of a university or college’s commencement ceremony is its keynote speaker, who provides some words of wisdom as the graduating students enter the next phase in their lives.
Read on to see who will speak at some of Mississippi’s major universities and colleges.
Jackson State University
Jackson State University will feature two commencement speakers this year, both of whom are Jackson State alumni.
Judge Carlton W. Reeves currently serves as chair of the United States Sentencing Commission. In addition to this role, Reeves has served as a U.S. District judge since 2010, when he was nominated by former President Barack Obama.
Reeves, a Yazoo City native, graduated from Jackson State with a degree in political science in 1986.
Sen. Laphonza Butler, a native of Magnolia, was recently appointed to the Senate following Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s death in September 2023.
Prior to serving as a senator, Butler became the first Black woman to serve as president of EMILY’s List, a political action committee that supports female Democratic candidates who run on a platform of supporting abortion rights within the U.S.
Both keynote speeches will be live streamed on Jackson State’s Facebook page and Youtube channel.
Mississippi State University
Starkville campus:
Meridian Campus:
Mississippi State University president Mark E. Keenum will serve as commencement speaker for his university.
Keenum, the university’s 19th president, has served in his role since 2009. He has also served as commencement speaker on several occasions.
University of Mississippi
ESPN senior writer Wright Thompson will serve as keynote speaker for the University of Mississippi’s commencement ceremony.
Thompson, a Mississippi native, has also authored three books including “The Best American Sports Writing,” “The Cost of These Dreams: Sports Stories and Other Serious Business” and “Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon and the Things That Last.”
Thompson’s upcoming book, “The Barn” focuses on the death of Emmett Till, a Black teen tortured and murdered in 1955 while he was visiting Mississippi.
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University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg campus:
Gulf Park campus:
The University of Southern Mississippi’s commencement will be the university’s own president Joe Paul.
Southern has several commencement ceremonies scheduled for different colleges starting May 9 and ending May 11 with a ceremony on the Gulf Park campus.
All except the Gulf Park campus commencement will take place at the Bernard Reed Green Coliseum and will open with a speech from Paul.
Joe Paul has served as Southern’s president since 2022.
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Mississippi College
Mississippi College alum Gayle Wicker will speak at the college’s central ceremony on May 2.
Wicker served as Mississippi College student body president in 1971, the first woman to do so.
Wicker, a Tupelo native, also made Mississippi College history when she became the first female admissions counselor shortly after she graduated.
The central ceremony will include celebrations for all students before individual ceremonies that night.
William Carey University
William Carey University will have two commencement speakers at different ceremonies due to the size of this year’s graduating class.
Both commencement ceremonies will take place in the Temple Baptist Church in Hattiesburg.
Michael Heindl, the president of Northwest Mississippi Community College will speak at the first of the two commencement ceremonies.
The second commencement ceremony will feature a keynote speech from Mary Graham, president of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Commencement speakers for 2024 Mississippi colleges
