Posted on 05/20/2004 7:44:09 AM PDT by Melpomene
President George W. Bush will speak and LSU will award some 3,199 degrees at the university's 253rd commencement exercises Friday, May 21, in the Maravich Assembly Center. The main ceremony is scheduled to begin at 9:45 a.m. with the academic procession, and Gov. Kathleen Blanco is expected to attend.
For security reasons and because of limited seating in the Assembly Center, the main ceremony will be a ticketed event. All available tickets have already been distributed, and everyone entering the Assembly Center on Commencement Day will need a ticket, except for those faculty members in the academic procession, who have already been selected and notified. Graduates will need their special graduate tickets and some form of photo identification.
Those planning to attend commencement should arrive earlier than they normally would because increased security procedures will be in effect. Certain parking lots will be closed and some streets will be closed. In addition, all those attending will be required to pass through a magnetometer, or metal detector, and will be asked to open purses or other similar items they are bringing into the Assembly Center.
The main ceremony is expected to end around 11:30 a.m. and will be followed by individual diploma ceremonies for each college, which will be held at various times and locations across campus. During the diploma ceremonies, every student's name will be called and diplomas will be handed out individually. For more information on the diploma ceremonies, go to www.lsu.edu/commencement.
During the main ceremony, President Bush will receive an honorary degree, presented by LSU System President William L. Jenkins. President Bush will also recognize newly commissioned ROTC cadets. Also at the main ceremony, doctoral candidates will receive their diplomas individually, degrees will be conferred for all students and University Medalists will be recognized. A record 53 students are expected to receive University Medals for graduating with perfect grade-point averages.
LSU Chancellor Mark A. Emmert will preside at the main ceremony, and will recognize the LSU class of 1954 and the Golden Tigers, or those who graduated at least 50 years ago. LSU Board of Supervisors member Perry Segura will confer degrees and LSU Faculty Senate President O. Carruth McGehee will serve as mace bearer. The processional and recessional music will be by the LSU Commencement Band, conducted by Linda Moorhouse, associate director of the LSU School of Music's Department of Bands. Jon Steffen Truitt, candidate for a doctor of musical arts degree, will sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" and the LSU alma mater. The invocation and benediction will be by Rev. Ken W. Irby of the University United Methodist Church.
Baton Rouge resident A. Lamar Simmons, 83, will receive a bachelor's degree in mass communication after being away from LSU for 63 years. Simmons had nearly completed his degree requirements when he left LSU in 1941 to serve in World War II as a Marine. Recently, he learned that LSU awards academic credit for military service, based on standards set by the American Council on Education. Simmons applied for his military credit and is now eligible to receive his bachelor of arts degree. He will be recognized at the Manship School of Mass Communication diploma ceremony at 4:30 p.m. in the Union Theater.
Other interesting graduation stories include Rachel Sherburne of Montgomery, Ala., LSU's 2003 homecoming queen and Air Force ROTC Cadet Corps Commander, who will be commissioned as an Air Force officer and will receive a bachelor's degree in mass communication; Layne Cannon of Baton Rouge, 52, who recently retired from the Department of Revenue after more than 30 years and is expected to receive a University Medal for a perfect cumulative grade-point average when he receives his bachelor of arts degree in history; and husband-and-wife Stephanie and David Kuhn of Towson, Md., who will both receive doctorates in psychology and who married and had a daughter during their time as graduate students.
Ten members of LSU's national championship football team are expected to graduate on May 21, including tight end Eric Edwards and offensive tackle Rodney Reed, who is receiving a master's degree.
This will be the first time a sitting U.S. President has delivered the commencement address at LSU. The President's father, former President George H.W. Bush, was LSU's commencement speaker in 2001, and the President's mother, former First Lady Barbara Bush, was LSU's commencement speaker in 1993.
Both Mrs. Bush and President Bush will not attend their twins college graduations because they did not want their girls to be placed above any of the other graduates plus they did not want to have to put the attendees to have to go through security.
I call that class.....
God Bless our First Couple and their daughters, who have been put through hell the last 4 years by the hate filled liberals who dispise the Bush family.
Geaux Bush!
Interesting. James Carville was featured before the national championship football game, featured as a famous alum, driving around the LSU campus in a beautiful old car. First time he didn't come across as a snake on TV, I might add...
Hah, you beat me to it! I was just going to post this story.
I only know one person named Melpomene (Greek mythology aside) and that would be my grandmother, however I doubt you are her since she lives 5000 miles away and speaks no English.
That is unfortunate.
I'd love to see the new alums to my alma mater chant the "Hot boudin, cold coosh coosh, c'mon Tigers, poosh poosh poosh!" cheer for Bush!
Geaux W!
I am definitely not your grandmother, since I have only one kid, and she's a scant ten months old. I live in New Orleans, and we have a series of Muses streets, all of which the locals mispronounce. Melpomene (pron. "MEL-puh-mean" here) is my favorite, right after Terpsichore (Terp-SIC-or-ee)
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