FROSTBURG STATE UNIVERSITY TO CELEBRATE 155TH COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY

Dec 3, 2019 3:35 PM

Frostburg State University will celebrate student achievements of its fall 2019 graduating class with the 155th Commencement ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 18. The ceremony for the colleges of Business, Education, and Liberal Arts and Sciences will take place in the Harold J. Cordts Physical Education Center’s Main Arena at 2 p.m.

University System of Maryland Regent James Holzapfel will confer degrees and FSU President Ronald Nowaczyk will address the graduating class and present diplomas. This year’s commencement speakers are Mackenzie Swift from the College of Business, Kyndra Dawson from the College of Education and Robert Burns from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Swift, of Oakland, Md., graduates with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in human resource management. She has served as the president of FSU’s chapter of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) for the past year and was selected to be in the President’s Leadership Circle in 2018-19. She is a member of several honor societies, most notably Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honors Society. She was named the 2019 scholarship winner for the Maryland Daily Record’s Top 100 Women of Maryland, chosen out of all female college students in the state. Swift has organized many successful workshops, activities and networking events and has attended multiple leadership retreats, including the Sloop Institute for Excellence in Leadership. She has interned with the Garrett County Board of Education and at First United Bank and Trust. She also uses her time to serve and has been a volunteer mentor to a local elementary school student for the past year. She is very grateful for her time with the students and professors in Frostburg’s College of Business, saying, “There is no student who has been more impacted nor one who is more thankful for her time in this program.”

Dawson, of Mount Savage, Md., graduates with a bachelor’s in early childhood/elementary education. She made the Dean’s List every semester and was awarded the Hattie M. Strong Foundation “Strong Scholars” Scholarship in 2019. She is an active member of the Frostburg Student Education Association and is an advocate for young children. Dawson has been a teaching assistant at Parkside Elementary School and has served as a teacher intern for kindergarten and second grade at Cash Valley Elementary Professional Development School. Faculty have recognized her diligence and hard work in every task, as she continues to strive for excellence. Her department says, “As an early childhood/elementary major, Kyndra exemplifies a dedicated, compassionate and competent beginning educator.”

Burns, of Frederick, Md., graduates with a bachelor’s in engineering with a minor in physics. He served as a student worker in FSU’s Materials Testing Lab for the past two years, completing projects used to help educate students on mechanical property testing. Burns showcased his skills outside of the classroom by interning with Meggitt Defense Systems and recently traveling to Portland, Ore., to present his group’s capstone design project and represent FSU at the Materials Science and Technology Conference. He also served as co-author with Dr. Zhen Liu on several graduate level research projects and is working with the Physics and Engineering Department to improve learning for his peers. Burns has had to overcome many obstacles to obtain his success, according to department chair Dr. Eric Moore. “Robert has shown the world of experiences FSU offers to students who are willing to persist and grab hold of opportunities they can get no place else,” Moore said. Burns has secured a job with the U.S. Department of the Navy.

Provost Dr. Elizabeth Throop; Dr. Sudhir Singh, dean of the College of Business; Dr. Boyce Williams, interim dean of the College of Education; and Dr. Kim Hixson, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will present candidates for degrees.

Tickets are required to attend. You can learn more on the Commencement web site.

The ceremony will also be streamed live online. For the livestream link, visit the Frostburg State web site on the day of commencement. An overflow viewing area showing the livestreamed broadcast will be available in the Lane University Center Loft near Starbucks. No tickets are required at this location.

Graduates and families are encouraged to share photos of favorite Commencement moments on social media by tagging them with the hashtag #FrostburgGRAD.

Situated in the mountains of Allegany County, Frostburg State University is one of the 12 institutions of the University System of Maryland. FSU is a comprehensive, residential regional university and serves as an educational and cultural center for Western Maryland. For more information, visit the Frostburg State web site or the FSU Facebook page. Follow FSU on Twitter @frostburgstate.

FSU is committed to making all of its programs, services and activities accessible to persons with disabilities. To request accommodations through the ADA Compliance Office, call 301-687-4102 or use a Voice Relay Operator at 1-800-735-2258.