[216]MORE THAN 1,600 GRADUATES SET TO PARTICIPATE IN FALL COMMENCEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 2, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Office of News and Public Affairs, 615-898-2919

MORE THAN 1,600 GRADUATES SET TO PARTICIPATE IN FALL COMMENCEMENT
TBR Chancellor Charles Manning & Zycron Inc. Founder Darrell Freeman
Will Serve as Featured Speakers for Dual-Ceremony Graduation Event at MTSU

(MURFREESBORO)—Some 1,600-plus degree candidates are expected to graduate during MTSU’s 97th fall commencement during the university’s upcoming graduation ceremonies, reports Dr. Sherian Huddleston, associate vice provost, Enrollment Services.
On Saturday, Dec. 13, MTSU will again feature dual ceremonies and dual speakers starting at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Murphy Center. Of the 1,613 set to graduate during the 97th fall commencement, 1,400 are undergraduates and 213 are graduate students.
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, executive vice provost and chairwoman of the commencement committee.
•Darrell Freeman, who serves president and CEO of Zycron Inc., an international information-technology services firm that is headquartered in Nashville, will serve as the guest speaker for the 9 a.m. ceremony.
As leader of Zycron, Freeman founded the firm in 1991 and oversees its daily operations, which include providing IT solutions to a global client base within diverse industries such as health care, transportation and logistics, telecommunications, automotive and retail, and financial services. During its 17-year history, Zycron has become a primary IT provider for numerous Fortune 500 companies.
A two-time graduate of MTSU, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1987 and his Master of Science degree in 1990, Freeman also currently serves as chairman of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. He is the first such chairman in recent history to be re-elected for a second term.
During his first term, Freeman led the chamber in modifying its infrastructure, a move that is credited with yielding a substantial financial surplus and reversing the chamber’s downward trend in membership. Also during his tenure as chamber chairman, Freeman helped increase sponsorship revenue and enacted more efficient sizes for the executive board and committees.
A member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity and the Governors Club of Tennessee, Freeman was a recipient of the Jennings A. Jones College of Business Exemplar Award in 2002, an honor that is presented to MTSU alumni whose achievements since graduation are exemplary for current students.
•Dr. Charles Manning, who has served as chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents system since April 2000, will be the featured speaker for the 1 p.m. commencement ceremony. Prior to joining the TBR, Manning served as chancellor of West Virginia’s university system. During his eight-year tenure with TBR, Manning—who earned a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Maryland—is credited with improving innovation, efficiency and responsiveness regarding the needs of Tennessee college students, with an emphasis on collaboration among TBR institutions.
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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 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 Dec. 13, 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 FALL 2008 COMMENCEMENT AT A GLANCE

Who: Approximately 1,613 graduates* (1,400 undergraduates, 213 graduate students)
What: 2008 MTSU fall commencement
When: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Dec. 13
Where: Murphy Center on the MTSU campus.
Commencement speakers:
• Darrell Freeman, MTSU alumnus and president and CEO of Zycron Inc., at 9 a.m. ceremony.
• TBR Chancellor Charles Manning at 1 p.m. ceremony.



*— Approximate number as of Nov. 19, 2008.



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