Frostburg State University to Celebrate Student Achievement at 147th Commencement

2015 Dec 2

Frostburg State University celebrates the achievements of the fall 2014 graduating class with the 147th Commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 19. The ceremony for the colleges of Business, Education and Liberal Arts and Sciences will take place at 2 p.m. in the Main Arena of the Cordts Physical Education Center.

FSU Interim President Tom Bowling will address the graduating class and confer degrees. Featured commencement student speakers will be Joseph Howser, College of Business; Jacqueline Kibunja, College of Education; and Caitlin Squires, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Greetings and congratulations will be offered from University System of Maryland Regent James T. Brady.

Howser, of Cumberland, will graduate with a major in accounting with a minor in business administration. He is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honor society, and the FSU Accounting Association and was a participant in the Sloop Institute for Excellence in Leadership. He has been a federal procurement intern with IBM in Rocket Center, W.Va., since 2014. His professors have admired his excellence in academics, his professional manner and his willingness to always engage in classroom activities. He has been described as person who "in every way represents the Department of Accounting and the College of Business as the ideal student." He has secured a post-graduation internship with RSM, the nation's fifth-largest accounting firm, and plans to pursue his CPA.

Kibunja, of Silver Spring, will graduate with a major in elementary education with a specialization in English/language arts. She has done internships in elementary and middle schools. She has earned the Black Student Association Academic Achievement award, the Howard P. Rawlings grant and the Frostburg State University grant. She has been involved with the Frostburg Student Education Association, the National Council of Negro Women and the Delta Zeta National Sorority where she served as Risk Management chair. Her middle school internship supervisor said, "Jackie is a shining star and goes above and beyond the expectation for an aspiring teacher." Her professors admire her aptitude for teaching, the quality of her coursework and her position as a leader who has gained the respect and admiration of her peers.

Squires, of Oldtown, will graduate with a major in mass communication. She was involved in the staging of the annual Halloween Costume Competition in Cumberland, Md., where she worked alongside the City of Cumberland Parks and Recreation Department. She is the co-producer for the FSU-TV show "The Frostburg Experience." She has interned at Allegany College of Maryland, did a volunteer internship at Allegany County Circuit Court and had a practicum with Allegany Magazine. She is also active in community service, leading drives to provide gifts to underprivileged children. Her professors and intern supervisor admire her work ethic, her initiative to go above and beyond the assignment guidelines, her drive for self-improvement and her keen attention to detail, saying she approaches her work inside and outside the classroom "with an eye on understanding."

Interim Provost Dr. Ahmad Tootoonchi; Dr. Clarence Golden, dean of the College of Education; Dr. Sudhir Singh, interim dean of the College of Business; and Dr. Joseph Hoffman, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will present candidates for degrees during commencement.

Tickets are required to attend commencement. For more information, visit, www.frostburg.edu/events/commencement.

The ceremony will be streamed live online. Visit www.frostburg.edu on the day of the commencement for the link. To join in the celebration on social media, share your best Commencement photos on Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr by tagging them with #instaFrostburg, and tweet out your congratulations and photos using the hashtag #FrostburgGRAD.