Northwest Missouri State University honored its spring graduates during four commencement ceremonies April 26 – 27, celebrating their journeys at Northwest while encouraging them to build upon their learning at the university and their connections.
“I know you understand that Northwest Missouri State University is not just a place of learning,” Northwest President Dr. Lance Tatum said during his remarks to graduates and their families in Bearcat Arena. “It’s a home, a community that fosters growth, innovation and excellence. Our culture – enriched by steadfast faculty and staff – has prepared each of you to be ready for what the world has for you.”
The Friday night’s ceremony was halted for nearly an hour when a tornado warning affecting Nodaway County forced the university to evacuate the Bearcat Arena crowd into the facility’s basement. The ceremony resumed as planned after the warning was cleared, although Tatum abbreviated his remarks.
Notably, many of the students receiving bachelor’s degrees from Northwest this spring completed their high school degrees amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The commencement ceremonies celebrated 1,377 students, ranging in age from 19 to 61. Northwest awarded 720 bachelor’s degrees, 537 master’s degrees and 116 education specialist degrees. Elementary education and business management were the most common bachelor’s degrees among the graduates, and applied computer science was the most common master’s degree. Geographically, the graduates represented 37 states with two-thirds of them hailing from locations in Missouri; another 22 percent were from the surrounding states of Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. Northwest celebrated 224 international graduates from 10 different countries.
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