Columbus State to confer degrees on 948 graduates during May 11, 12 commencement events

May 8, 2023

Four graduation-related events on May 11 and 12 will celebrate the 948 Columbus State University students who comprise the university’s Spring 2023 graduating class. These events will include three ceremonies throughout the day on Friday that mark the university’s 125th commencement exercises.

These events include the following—all of which will take place in the Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center on the university’s Main Campus:

• Graduate Hooding Ceremony: Thursday, May 11, 6 p.m.
• College of the Arts and D. Abbott Turner College of Business & Technology Commencement Ceremony: Friday, May 12, 10 a.m.
• College of Letters & Sciences Commencement Ceremony: Friday, May 12, 1 p.m.
• College of Education & Health Professions Commencement Ceremony: Friday, May 12, 4 p.m. 

During these ceremonies, Columbus State anticipates conferring 965 degrees and certificates, representing opportunities for students to earn dual degrees or certificates along with their degrees. These include 19 doctoral degrees, 43 education specialist degrees, 242 master’s degrees, 580 bachelor’s degrees, 23 associate degrees, nine nexus degrees, and 49 certificates.  

Each of Friday’s commencement ceremonies will feature Michael Stiggers Jr. (pictured) as the university’s commencement speaker. Stiggers earned a bachelor’s in theatre education from Columbus State in 2009. He progressed professionally through local CSU and Springer Opera House productions to Atlanta's regional theatre scene. He later made his way to New York City, where he became the university's first graduate to perform on Broadway with acting credits in both “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” and “The Lion King.”

Event logistics

Graduates and guests are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the rules and regulations of the Lumpkin Center, including the university’s clear-bag policy. The university requests that guests refrain from bringing items such as balloons, confetti, posters or signs, and noisemakers inside the facility.

Free parking for the ceremonies is available throughout Main Campus, with limited accessible parking located in the parking deck next to the Lumpkin Center. Shuttles will also be moving through campus to assist any guests with limited mobility.

Additional information for graduates and guests attending these events is online at columbusstate.edu/graduation, where links to the live streams of the May 11 and May 12 commencement ceremonies, and a PDF of the commencement program, will also be available.

Other commencement facts and figures

Ceremony Firsts/Lasts: This spring’s ceremonies will mark the last over which Dr. John M. Fuchko III[BROKEN LINK] will preside as interim president. This spring’s class will also mark the first graduates of the D. Abbott Turner College of Business & Technology, following the college’s name change in April 2023. It also included the first cohort of graduates completing the public musicology certificate offered through the Joyce & Henry Schwob School of Music and the first cohort of graduates earning degrees from the Master of Public Health program in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences.

Distribution of Graduates by College: This spring’s 948 graduates include 120 students representing the College of the Arts; 210 from the D. Abbott Turner College of Business & Technology; 361 from the College of Education & Health Professions; and 257 from the College of Letters & Sciences.

Honors College Participation: This spring’s graduates include 16 students who participated in the Honors College curriculum.

Top Academic Disciplines: Among both undergraduate and graduate programs, the top five academic disciplines—in order of the total number of degrees and certificates awarded—are the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN); the online Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP); the Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in Elementary Education; the Bachelor of Arts in Communication; and (tied) the Bachelor of Science in Health Science and the Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

Academic Honors: Honors status is bestowed on baccalaureate degree-earners based on their final grade point average. Among this spring’s graduates, 70 will graduate summa cum laude with GPAs ranging between 3.8 and 4.0; 86 as magna cum laude with GPAs between 3.6 and 3.79; and 81 as cum laude with GPAs ranging between 3.4 and 3.59. In addition, three associate degree graduates will graduate with high honors for having GPAs ranging between 3.8 and 4.0, and two with honors for having GPAs between 3.5 and 3.79.

Commencement Marshals: Faculty marshals serving during their respective May 12 commencement ceremonies will include Marcus Johnson, assistant professor of theatre, Department of Theatre & Dance (College of the Arts); Dr. Tom McCormack, professor of teacher education, leadership & counseling, Department of Teacher Education, Leadership & Counseling (College of Education & Health Professions); and Dr. Jim Owen, professor of English, Department of English (College of Letters & Sciences), who is retiring this semester after 28 years of service on the CSU faculty.

First-Generation Representation: As many as 52% (494 students) in this spring’s graduating class identified themselves as first-generation college students.

Graduates’ Age Range: This spring’s graduating class ranges in age from 18 years old to 70 years old.

Geographic Representation: More than 88% (835 students) of the spring class hails from Georgia. After Muscogee County, Georgia counties with the greatest number of graduates are, in order of total graduates, Harris, Gwinnett, Troup and Fulton counties. The remainder represents 21 other states and territories (with Alabama, Texas, South Carolina and Florida topping the list in order of the number of total graduates hailing from those states).

International Representation: Nearly 4% (35 students) of the spring class represents 20 different countries, with the highest concentration hailing from India.

Military-Connected Graduates: This spring’s graduating class includes 21 active-duty servicemen and servicewomen (2% of all graduates), and 38 military veterans (4% of all graduates).

The spring class also includes 14 ROTC “Cougar Battalion” cadets who will commission as second lieutenants. Following their commissioning, they will continue their service through their respective assignments, which include the Adjutant General’s Corps, Medical Services Corps, Nurse Corps, Ordnance Corps, Quartermaster Corps and Signal Corps. They will be commissioned separately in a May 12 ceremony at the National Infantry Museum, beginning at 8 a.m., as well as participate in their college's respective commencement ceremony.

Scholarship Representation: This spring’s class of graduates includes 294 institutional scholarship recipients; 395 HOPE Scholarship recipients; 38 athletic scholarship recipients; and 158 external scholarship recipients. These awards, totaling more than $8 million, represent those forms of financial support received during their entire time as Columbus State students and include merit-based scholarships, need-based scholarships, or a combination of the two.

Servant Leadership Program Participation: This spring’s graduates include 13 students who participated in the William B. Turner Center for Servant Leadership program.

Student-Athlete Representation: This spring’s graduates include 30 student-athletes from Columbus State's NCAA Division II sports teams.

Teaching Contract Guarantee: Among this spring’s teacher education graduates, 24 students will benefit professionally from Columbus State’s partnership with the Muscogee County School District and its “CSU Teaching Contract Guarantee." The guarantee ensures a Muscogee County School District teaching contract for any Columbus State teacher education graduate who passes the student teaching component of their degree, and who meets Georgia Professional Standards Commission induction certification requirements. 

Media contact:
Michael Tullier, APR, Executive Director of Strategic Communication + Marketing, 706.507.8729, mtullier@columbusstate.edu