Northwest Missouri State University will celebrate its 2018 spring graduates Friday, April 27, and Saturday, April 28, with two dedicated faculty members delivering the commencement addresses to the degree candidates and their families.

The commencement ceremonies begin at 7 pm, Friday in Bearcat Arena when Northwest confers master’s and education specialist degrees and recognizes candidates for its doctoral degree in educational leadership and policy analysis with the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. Jim Eiswert, an associate professor of philosophy who is retiring this spring after 27 years at Northwest, will address the Friday evening ceremony.

“Master’s degree candidates will benefit from hearing of Dr. Eiswert’s life’s work and passion focused on expansion of critical thinking, continuous inquiry, lifelong learning and connections,” Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski said. “Jim has brought so much to our campus over his years of service – and has positively impacted not just students but the work and meaning thereof for all of his colleagues across campus and well beyond.”

The university will honor bachelor’s degree candidates from the Melvin D. and Valorie G. Booth School of Business and Professional Studies, the school of agricultural sciences, the school of education, and the school of computer science and information systems at 10 am, Saturday in Bearcat Arena.

Bachelor’s degree candidates from the college of arts and sciences, the school of communication and mass media, and the school of health science and wellness will be honored at 2 pm, Saturday in Bearcat Arena. Dr. Katy Strickland, the university’s most recent Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education recipient, will address both Saturday ceremonies.

“Without question, Dr. Strickland’s perspective, work and life experiences and her time at Northwest will help provide a superior message to our bachelor’s degree candidates,” Jasinski said. “Representing teaching excellence and being our 2018 Governor’s Award recipient, Dr. Strickland lives out our mission of focusing on student success and the importance of engaging students in and out of the classroom. We are honored to have her represent our outstanding faculty at Northwest.”

Northwest expects more than 850 students to receive degrees this spring. The university reports nearly 200 students will receive master’s or specialist degrees through the university’s graduate school, and at least 650 undergraduate students are expected to receive bachelor’s degrees.

Doors will open to guests one hour prior to each ceremony. No tickets are necessary to attend the ceremonies. To accommodate guests who cannot attend, Northwest will offer a live online stream of the ceremonies at nwmissouri.edu/live.   

Graduates along with their families and friends also are invited to interact with Northwest social media before, during and after the commencement ceremonies. Users may share their graduation memories on Twitter by using the hashtag #NWGrad, or submit graduation photos to Northwest’s Flickr feed. Photos may be taken with mobile devices and emailed to nwgrad@nwmissouri.edu. Submitted photos will appear immediately on Northwest’s Flickr page at www.flickr.com/nwmostate/.