[392] 2,000-PLUS GRADUATES SET TO PARTICIPATE IN SPRING COMMENCEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 21, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Office of News and Public Affairs, 615-898-2919

2,000-PLUS GRADUATES SET TO PARTICIPATE IN SPRING COMMENCEMENT
Grand Ole Opry GM Pete Fisher & Rutherford County Mayor Ernest Burgess
Will Serve as Featured Speakers for Dual-Ceremony Graduation Event at MTSU

(MURFREESBORO)—More than 2,000 degree candidates are expected to graduate during MTSU’s 96th spring commencement during the university’s upcoming commencement ceremonies, reported Dr. Sherian Huddleston, associate vice provost, Enrollment Services.
On Saturday, May 3, MTSU will again feature dual ceremonies and dual speakers starting at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Murphy Center. Of the 2,046 set to receive degrees, 1,760 are undergraduates and 286 are graduate students, including 234 master’s candidates, 45 Education Specialists candidates, one graduate certificate recipient, one Doctor of Arts candidate and five 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. Diane L. Miller, professor, mathematical sciences, and interim chairwoman of the commencement committee.
Pete Fisher, vice president/general manager for the Grand Ole Opry, will be the guest speaker for the 9 a.m. ceremony. He earned a bachelor's degree in mass communication from MTSU, with a concentration in recording industry management, and was recognized as a distinguished alumnus in 2004.
Named general manager of the Grand Ole Opry in June1999, Fisher oversees all activities of the world's longest-running radio show. He also manages the day-to-day operations of the Grand Ole Opry House and Acuff Theatre and produces its weekly Opry shows in addition to serving as executive producer of Grand Ole Opry Live on the GAC cable network and America’s Grand Ole Opry Weekend, a two-hour syndicated radio program heard on more than 200 stations via Westwood One.
Fisher's entertainment industry experience spans from artist management to music publishing, with a special emphasis placed on service to a variety of music industry organizations. Prior to joining the Grand Ole Opry, he was a partner in Fisher Raines Entertainment, where he managed the careers of Warner/Reprise Records artist Paul Brandt and Sony’s Marcus Hummon, among others. He also spent seven years at WarnerSongs Inc. as director of creative services, where he managed the joint-venture publishing operation between Warner/Reprise Records and Warner/Chappell Music Inc.
Fisher currently serves as president of the Nashville chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and hold membership on the board of
directors for the Nashville Songwriters Foundation and the Academy of Country Music.
Ernest G. Burgess, Rutherford County mayor, will be the featured speaker for the 1 p.m. ceremony. A cattle farmer and businessman, Burgess is a lifelong resident of Rutherford County and was elected to serve as mayor in 2006.
Burgess earned a Bachelor of Science degree from MTSU and a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee. He retired as senior vice president of operations for the National Healthcare Corporation, or NHC, and is a past chairman of the Republican Party of Rutherford County.
Currently, Burgess devotes his time and service to several boards and committees, including serving as chairman for the Rutherford County Board of Commissioners, the Rutherford County Correctional Work Center Board and Community Care of Rutherford County Inc. He also serves as a board member for NHC and for National Health Realty.
Burgess’ past community-service record includes tenure as a board member for a number of area organizations, including the Linebaugh Public Library, Discovery Center at Murfree Springs, Main Street Murfreesboro, Hospice of Murfreesboro, the MTSU Foundation and the MTMC Foundation.
Married for 47 years to Peggy Bryant, Burgess and his wife are the parents of three children and the grandparents of seven. The Burgesses are active members of North Boulevard Church of Christ, where Ernest is an elder.
Regarding the upcoming commencement event, Miller said she 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,” Miller 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 Miller, 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, she said.
“To make this a special day, it requires cooperation from everyone in attendance,” Miller said. “We believe it should be a dignified ceremony, which adds to its enjoyment of all in attendance.”
On May 3, the doors to Murphy Center will open at 8 o’clock for the morning ceremony and candidates are expected to be in their assigned areas, dressed in their caps and gowns, no later than 8:30 a.m. For the afternoon ceremony, the doors will open at noon and candidates are expected to be in their assigned areas and ready at 12:30 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 2008 COMMENCEMENT AT A GLANCE

Who: About 2,046 graduates, including 1,760 undergraduates and 286 graduate
What: 2008 MTSU spring commencement
When: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. May 3
Where: Murphy Center on the MTSU campus

Commencement speakers:
• Pete Fisher, Grand Ole Opry general manager and vice president, at 9 a.m. ceremony.
• Ernest G. Burgess, Rutherford County mayor, at 1 p.m. ceremony.
*— Approximate number as of April 18, 2008.




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ATTENTION, MEDIA: To obtain a jpeg of guest speakers 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.