May 2, 2023
Congratulations 2023 graduating Spartan Engineers
Michigan State University will host commencement ceremonies for more than 1,040 graduates of the College of Engineering this weekend.
Advanced degrees -- The Advanced Degree Commencement for master’s degree graduates is Friday, May 5, at 9 a.m. in MSU's Breslin Center. There will be 62 master's candidates from the College of Engineering.
The Advanced Degree Commencement for Ph.D. graduates is Friday, May 5, at 3:30 p.m. in MSU's Breslin Center. There will 65 Ph.D. candidates from the college.
Both ceremonies will be approximately two hours. There are no admission tickets required.
For the safety of attendees, no bags or purses will be allowed in the Breslin or Wharton centers during commencement ceremonies. Cameras and camcorders are permitted, but cases are prohibited. No food or beverages — including bottled water — will be allowed, and this applies to graduates, guests and faculty. Both facilities will offer a limited concessions menu during the ceremonies. Additional prohibited items include noisemakers, selfie sticks, pets, signs and weapons of any kind. MSU is a smoke-free campus, including all outdoor and indoor spaces.
Metal detectors will screen all attendees at each commencement location, so please plan accordingly.
Undergraduates -- The College of Engineering will host graduation services for around 920 undergraduates on Sunday, May 7, at 3:30 p.m. in the Breslin Center. The ceremony will be approximately two hours. There are no admission tickets required.
Leo Kempel, dean of the College of Engineering, will offer both the welcome and closing remarks at undergraduate graduation.
Kempel said he is extremely proud of the Spartan Engineering graduates.
"As our College continues to grow, we will celebrate the ‘largest ever’ class once again. I wish them well as they head into the marketplace. I know these talented graduates will lead technological innovations in our economy. I look forward to keeping in touch with them and hope they come home often."
Nick Filerman, a senior in computer science and engineering, will sing the Star-Spangled Banner.
Amanda Idema, assistant dean for Undergraduate Student Affairs, serves as commencement coordinator.
Undergraduate commencement speaker
Mikayla Norton, an applied engineering sciences senior from Howell, Michigan, will offer the undergraduate address during graduation exercises on Sunday, May 7, at 3:30 p.m. in the Breslin Center.
Norton said she will talk about the importance of celebrating daily achievements.
“Commencement speeches often focus on the idea of going into the world and being change agents. I wanted to take a different approach and talk about how change is made of everyday moments, and that what we bring to those moments matters.”
At MSU, Norton served as director of membership connections for MSU Women in STEM, and she was lead ambassador for MSU Women in Engineering Outreach. She also served as the director of public relations for the Society of Applied Engineering Sciences (SAES) and was president for Leadership Advantage (for engineers) for two years.
“At this point in my life, MSU feels as much my home as the home I grew up in,” she remarked. “It’s been a gratifying, rewarding, world-changing experience. We’ve faced incredible challenges too. But we met those challenges together.”
Norton will spend this summer as an intern on Intel’s Supply Chain Advanced Analytics team. Upon finishing her master’s in data science degree in 2024, she will either continue her studies toward a Ph.D. or will enter the workforce.
Undergraduate keynote address
Donnie D. Haye will offer the undergraduate keynote address as the 2023 Claud R. Erickson Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient. Haye will receive the College’s top honor at the Engineering Alumni Awards banquet on Saturday, May 6.
The award recognizes professional accomplishment, volunteer service, and distinguished service to the college and the engineering profession.Haye is a global business leader with multiple IBM executive positions in operations, finance, service delivery, and transformation. She is a recognized leader in enhancing client services and business operations through the development and implementation of innovative analytics, AI solutions, and automation, with the accompanying process transformation. Highlights of her teams’ work are featured in the books Analytics Across the Enterprise and Supply Chain Metrics That Matter. She and colleagues were awarded a patent for Real-Time Analytics for Streaming Data.
She is a member of the Michigan State University Foundation Advisory Board, and she spent 10 years on the College of Engineering Advisory Board, including two as chair. She resides in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.
For the safety of attendees, no bags or purses will be allowed in the Breslin or Wharton centers during commencement ceremonies. Cameras and camcorders are permitted, but cases are prohibited. No food or beverages — including bottled water — will be allowed, and this applies to graduates, guests, and faculty. Both facilities will offer a limited concessions menu during the ceremonies. Additional prohibited items include noisemakers, selfie sticks, pets, signs and weapons of any kind. MSU is a smoke-free campus, including all outdoor and indoor spaces.
Metal detectors will screen all attendees at each commencement location, so please plan accordingly.
See who is graduating by reading the Spring 2023 Commencement program. Engineering undergraduates begin on Page 42. Graduate and professional degrees begin on Page 69: https://tinyurl.com/44je563x
MSU graduation ceremonies
Michigan State University will host commencement ceremonies for more than 9,500 graduates across baccalaureate, master’s, doctoral and professional programs at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center and the Wharton Center for Performing Arts beginning Thursday, May 4.
Undergraduate degree ceremony
The undergraduate convocation will take place at 1 p.m. on Friday, May 5. Students will hear from MSU economist and professor Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
This semester, the 6,978 bachelor’s degree candidates represent 77 Michigan counties, 44 states and 59 countries. Among those, 10 U.S. veterans will be graduating this weekend. The age range for this year’s graduating class ranges from 19 to 53 years of age. Additionally, 792 graduating seniors are members of the Honors College.
For the second consecutive year, MSU has a record-breaking number of students achieving the highest scholastic average — a 4.0 GPA. A total of 206 undergraduate seniors received the Board of Trustees Award for their academic excellence. They were recognized during the board’s April meeting and will also receive recognition at their individual college ceremonies.
Master’s degree ceremony
The master’s degree commencement ceremony will celebrate the accomplishments of 1,362 degree candidates at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 5. Students will hear from Jill Hruby, undersecretary for nuclear security in the U.S. Department of Energy and administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration.
The class represents 64 Michigan counties, 48 states, 46 countries and an age range of 20 to 77 years of age. Eleven U.S. veterans will receive master’s degrees this year.
Doctoral degree ceremony
The doctoral degree commencement ceremony will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, May 5. The 466 candidates will be welcomed by Anthony Fauci, former chief medical adviser to the president and past director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. This class represents 30 Michigan counties, 39 states, 42 countries and graduates range from 25 to 68 years of age.
In addition to doctoral degree recipients, 762 professional degree candidates from the Colleges of Veterinary Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Human Medicine and Law also will be recognized at their individual college ceremonies.
Ceremony details
Biographies of the speakers and honorary degree recipients can be found on MSUToday. Individual colleges will host their own commencement ceremonies over the weekend. A schedule can be found on the commencement website. All ceremonies will be livestreamed.
Twitter users are invited to follow all ceremonies using #SpartanGrad23.
Guest parking
Parking at the Breslin Center is limited, so the public is encouraged to use the free shuttle service. Metal detectors will screen all attendees at both facilities, so please plan accordingly.
