Dixie State University’s 105th Commencement Exercises set for May 6

Dixie State University’s 105th Commencement Exercises set for May 6

ST. GEORGE, Utah — Dixie State University announces that it will hold its 105th Commencement Exercises onFriday, May 6. Set to take place in the M. Anthony Burns Arena, Dixie State University’s 105th Commencement Exercises will be split into two ceremonies this year. The university will hold the Baccalaureate Degree Ceremony at 10 a.m. and the Associate Degree Ceremony at 2 p.m. For both events, graduates will march from the Gardner Student Center, through the Holland Centennial Plaza and into the Burns Arena. The processional for the Baccalaureate Degree Ceremony will start at 9:25 a.m. and the Associate Degree Ceremony processional will begin at 1:25 p.m. Patricia W. Jones, a member of the Utah State Board of Regents, will serve as the commencement speaker at both ceremonies. She is the CEO of the Women’s Leadership Institute, which was formed in January 2015 to elevate the stature of female leadership in Utah. As co-founder of Dan Jones & Associates, a public opinion and market research firm, Jones helped lead and manage the company as its president for 35 years. She also served in the Utah Legislature for 14 years as a member of the House from 2000 to 2006 and the Senate from 2006 to 2014. Sarah Folks will represent the DSU baccalaureate class of 2016 as the student speaker. The daughter of Tom and Heidi Folks, Sarah was born and raised in St. George. During her time at DSU, Folks has been a member of the Dixie State Women’s Golf Team and served as the communication senator for student government. She earned a 3.96 GPA, frequently made the President’s List and earned Academic All American honors. Following graduation, Folks plans on pursuing work in the nonprofit field. Lelia Shankula will serve as the associate degree student speaker. She grew up on the Great Plains of the Midwest as a native Kansan and moved to southern Utah in 2006. Here, she and her husband are raising their two children. Now that she has completed her Associate of Science degree, Shankula will pursue a bachelor’s degree in bio-medical science from Dixie State. Upon completion of her bachelor’s degree, Shankula intends to apply to medical school. [one_third padding="0 10px 0 10px"] DSU-Commencement-Patricia-W.-Jones [/one_third][one_third padding="0 10px 0 10px"] DSU-Commencement-Sarah-Folks [/one_third][one_third_last padding="0 10px 0 10px"] DSU-Commencement-Lelia-Shankula [/one_third_last] To date, DSU is slated to confer 1,764 degrees and certificates to 1,669 graduates this year, including 658 baccalaureate degrees, 969 associate degrees and 137 vocational and technical certificates. Of the degrees to be awarded, 784 are in General Education, 313 are from the School of Health Sciences, 278 are from the School of Business & Communication, 147 are from the School of Humanities, 111 are from the School of Education, 86 are from the School of Science & Technology and 45 are from the School of Visual & Performing Arts. Eight countries and 30 states are represented in the Class of 2016, while 82.2 percent of DSU’s graduates (1,372 students) call Utah home. Washington County natives make up 52.5 percent of Dixie’s graduating class. Female graduates constitute 57.6 percent of the class and the class ranges in age from 17 to 71. Dixie State University’s 105th Commencement Exercises will be available for viewing via free live streaming video on DSU’s website and will be broadcast live on Dixie’s Community Education Channel (CEC). For more information on Dixie State University’s 2016 Commencement activities, please visit www.utahtech.edu/commencement.