352 NEARLY 2,000 GRADUATES SET TO PARTICIPATE IN SPRING COMMENCEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 23, 2007 (DO NOT RELEASE EARLY)
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Office of News and Public Affairs, 615-898-2919


Speaker of the Senate Ron Ramsey & Acclaimed Musician George S. Clinton
Will Serve as Featured Speakers for Dual-Ceremony Graduation Event at MTSU

(MURFREESBORO)—Nearly 2,000 degree candidates are expected to graduate during MTSU’s 95th spring commencement during the university’s upcoming commencement ceremonies, reports Dr. Sherian Huddleston, associate vice provost, Enrollment Services.
On Saturday, May 5, MTSU will again feature dual ceremonies and dual speakers starting at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in Murphy Center. Of the 1,994 set to graduate, 1,726 are undergraduates and 268 are graduate students, including 229 master’s candidates, 32 education specialist (Ed.S.) degree candidates and seven Ph.D. candidates.
Candidates from the College of Graduate Studies, Jennings A. Jones College of Business, and College of Education and Behavioral Science will receive their degrees in the morning ceremony. That afternoon degrees will be conferred on candidates in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, College of Liberal Arts, College of Mass Communication, and the College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning, said Dr. Jack Thomas, senior vice provost for academic affairs and chairman of the commencement committee.
Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, who represents Tennessee Senate District 2, will be the guest speaker for the 10 a.m. ceremony. Ramsey, whose district encompasses Johnson and Sullivan counties in East Tennessee, was elected to the senate in 1996 after serving two terms in the state’s House of Representatives. During his time as a state representative, he served District 1 in Sullivan County.
On Jan. 9, 2007, he was elected speaker of the senate by an 18-15 margin, receiving the votes of all GOP senators and one Democratic senator. He is the first GOP senate speaker in 140 years and the first from Sullivan County in more than 100 years.
Prior to his election, he served as majority leader and chairman of the Republican Caucus and also served as a chairman of the Senate Environment Committee.
An avid outdoorsman, Ramsey authored the state’s handgun-carry permit law and sponsored legislation creating the state’s “brownfield” law, which aids Tennessee’s environment by making it easier to redevelop old industrial sites.
A graduate of Sullivan Central High School and a 1978 graduate of East Tennessee State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology, Ramsey resides in Blountville with his wife, Sindy, and their three daughters, Tiffany, Sheena and Madison.
When he is not in Nashville, Ramsey is a real-estate broker and auctioneer with his own company, Ron Ramsey and Associates, in Blountville. Among other activities, he is a past president of the Blountville Business Association and a member of Elizabeth Chapel United Methodist Church, where he teaches Sunday School.
George S. Clinton, who began his professional music career as a songwriter, arranger and session musician in Nashville while attending MTSU, will be the featured speaker for the 2 p.m. ceremony.
A native of Chattanooga, Clinton, upon his college graduation, traveled to Los Angeles in pursuit of a career in popular music. He became a staff writer for Warner Bros. Music, with songs recorded by artists such as Michael Jackson, Joe Cocker and Smokey Robinson, among many. Although he continued to work as a music arranger and session player, Clinton secured his own recording deal and released four albums for the record labels MCA, Elektra, ABC and Arista, respectively.
A critically acclaimed artist, Clinton’s many awards include a 2002 Grammy nomination and six BMI Film Music Awards. In addition to writing several concert works and three musicals, his inventiveness and versatility have enabled him to contribute memorable scores to diverse film such as the hit comedy “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery” and its blockbuster sequels, as well as “Mortal Kombat” and its sequel, John Waters’ “A Dirty Shame,” Kevin Costner’s “3,000 Miles to Graceland,” “The Astronaut’s Wife,” and more recently, “Big Mamma’s House 2” and “Deck the Halls,” to name but a sampling. Regarding the upcoming commencement event, Thomas said he wanted to remind all degree candidates of the importance of appropriate dress, decorum and respect for the commencement ceremony.
“We believe this is a very important day in the lives of many people,” Thomas said. “Commencement is a day that families always remember as special. It is difficult to give the ceremony the dignified atmosphere it deserves if people are using air horns or leaving before the completion of the ceremony.”
Additionally, per Thomas, the graduation committee also emphasized that students who participate in commencement will be required to stay for the entire ceremony. The May ceremony should last about two hours. If candidates are planning celebration activities, please be aware of this commitment, he said.
“To make this a special day, it requires cooperation from everyone in attendance,” Thomas said. “We believe it should be a dignified ceremony, which adds to its enjoyment of all in attendance.”
On May 5, the doors to Murphy Center will open at 9 a.m. for the morning ceremony and candidates are expected to be in their assigned areas, dressed in their caps and gowns, no later than 9:30 a.m. For the afternoon ceremony, the doors will open at 1 p.m., and candidates are expected to be in their assigned areas and ready at 1:30 p.m.
Officials report that students who are not in their assigned gyms at the proper times will not be allowed to participate in the ceremony. Because commencement rehearsals are no longer conducted, timely attendance is mandatory for students to receive important instructions.
• For more information about commencement or receiving a degree in absentia, please visit the Records Office Web site at www.mtsu.edu/~records/grad.htm. Questions about graduation may be directed to the Records Office at 615-898-2600.



MTSU SPRING 2007 COMMENCEMENT AT A GLANCE

Who: Approximately 1,994 graduates* (1,726 undergraduates, 268 graduate students)
What: 2007 MTSU spring commencement
When: 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. May 5
Where: Murphy Center on the MTSU campus.
Commencement speakers:
• Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, who represents Tennessee Senate District 2, at 10 a.m. ceremony.
• George S. Clinton, MTSU alumnus and critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated musician, at 2 p.m. ceremony.


*— Approximate number as of May 5, 2007.



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ATTENTION, MEDIA: To obtain a jpeg of guest speakers Ramsey or Clinton for editorial use, please call the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at 615-898-2919 or e-mail your jpeg request to gfann@mtsu.edu.