May 8, 2007

COLUMBUS, Ga.—Columbus State University will recognize about 600 degree recipients in a pair of spring commencement ceremonies, set for 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, May 12 in the Lumpkin Center.

The morning exercise will recognize graduates from the College of Arts and Letters, College of Education and University College. The speaker will be Robert F. Hatcher, president and chief executive officer of MidCountry Financial Corp., and member of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents. He also co-chairs the Commission for a New Georgia and serves on the boards of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Public Policy Foundation.

College of Science and D. Abbott Turner College of Business graduates will participate in the afternoon exercise, along with speaker Richard A. Smith, a 1975 graduate of CSU and vice chairman of the board and president of Realogy Corp. Realogy is the world’s largest residential real estate brokerage franchisor and the largest U.S. residential real estate brokerage firm. The Realogy franchise group includes Century 21, Coldwell Banker and ERA. Smith also serves on the CSU Foundation Board of Trustees and Harvard University’s Policy Advisory Board for the Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Seating for guests will begin at 8:30 a.m. for the morning ceremony and 1:30 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony. Heavy traffic on campus is anticipated, and shuttles will be available to transport guests from main campus parking lots. The CSU Bookstore will have items available for purchase on the second floor lobby of the Lumpkin Center before the ceremony.

A live Webcast will be available at http://graduation.colstate.edu. A high-speed connection is recommended and a classroom in Lumpkin Center will be set up for attendees who may want an alternative viewing location.

For more information, call 706-507-8800 or go to http://graduation.colstate.edu.