Southern Miss Commencement Ceremonies Set for May 8-9

The University of Southern Mississippi will confer more than 1,700 undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as one honorary doctorate May 8 and 9 in Hattiesburg and Biloxi during three commencement ceremonies concluding the 2008-09 academic year.

Approximately 1,471 students are candidates for graduation on the Hattiesburg campus in two ceremonies Friday, May 8 in Reed Green Coliseum. The Colleges of Business, Science and Technology, and Education and Psychology will participate in a 10 a.m. ceremony, while the Colleges of Arts and Letters and Health will participate in a 3 p.m. ceremony. Students from University Libraries and the Honors College will graduate in both ceremonies.

Graduation exercises for approximately 256 students at Southern Miss Gulf Coast are slated for 10 a.m., Saturday, May 9 in the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi.

Gulf Coast Business Leader to Receive Honorary Degree
Southern Miss Gulf Coast will award an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree to coast businessman and community leader Jerry St. Pé.

St. Pé joins a short list of honorees, becoming only the fifth individual to receive such recognition from the university.  "Mr. St. Pé has been a vital force in developing, building and rebuilding his community on the Gulf Coast," said Southern Miss President Martha Saunders. "He continues to inspire and drive success in himself and others, building a legacy of generosity and goodwill through civic work and simple kindness."

St. Pé, a resident of Pascagoula, is former president of Ingalls Shipbuilding and retired executive vice president of Litton Industries. He is chairman of the Mississippi Gaming Commission and served as vice chairman of Gov. Haley Barbour's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal to develop plans and public policy for recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

He joined the public relations staff at Ingalls in 1961, became president in 1985 and was elected a corporate vice president of Litton Industries. In 1998, he was named corporate executive vice president of Litton Industries with overall responsibility for the company's shipbuilding operations, a $2-billion enterprise with 18,000 employees in Mississippi and Louisiana. He retired in October 2001.

As one of the founders of the Jackson County Economic Development Foundation, St. Pé now serves as a member of the organization's board of directors. He also serves on the boards of directors for the Southern Company, Merchants and Marine Bank, and Signal International.

Southern Miss has awarded only four other honorary degrees: Healthcare executive David Fine in 2007, Mississippi politician Evelyn Gandy in 2001, the Rev. Will Davis Campbell in 1999, and benefactress Oseola McCarty in 1998.

Speaker for the Gulf Coast ceremony is Maj. Gen. Paul F. Capasso, former commander of the 81st Training Wing at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi. He is currently director of Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems, U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany. He is responsible for providing the AFRICOM commander with the command, control, communication and computer system capabilities necessary to prevent conflicts, respond to crises and conduct military operations.

A 1985 graduate of Southern Miss, Capasso holds a master of science degree in teleprocessing science. He received a bachelor of science degree in behavioral science in 1978 from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Among his many awards, Gen. Capasso has received the Defense Superior Service Medal,  the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal and the General and Mrs. Jerome F. O'Malley Award.

Publishing Company Executive to Speak at Hattiesburg Ceremony
In Hattiesburg, publishing company executive and Southern Miss alumnus William R. Phalen will speak at both ceremonies.

Phalen is CEO and chairman of Cities West Publishing Inc. of Scottsdale, Ariz. Founded in 1997 by Mr. Phalen, the company produces shelter and city magazines and directories for the Southwestern United States.

He received his bachelor's degree in journalism from Southern Miss and is a member of the Hall of Fame for both the Southern Miss Alumni Association and the School of Mass Communication and Journalism. He also is a member of the School's advisory board.

Phalen also founded two radio broadcasting companies and co-founded one, which acquired 24 radio stations throughout the United States from 1970-1996. A past president of the Tucson Broadcasters Association, Phalen has served on the advisory board of the ABC Radio Network and is a past member of the Walter Cronkite Endowment Board of Trustees at Arizona State University. He has served on several corporate boards and is an active philanthropist.

General Commencement Information
All Southern Miss graduation ceremonies are open to the public, and doors will be open approximately one hour before exercises are scheduled to begin.

Hattiesburg guests unable to physically negotiate the steps in Reed Green Coliseum should enter through the Fourth Street North entrance for assistance. Guests on the Gulf Coast should enter Gate 4, the northwest entrance of the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. All guests and candidates for graduation with physical disabilities may contact the Office of Disability Studies at 601.266.5024 for assistance.

All university and Coast Coliseum parking lots will be open to the public. Families and guests are urged to arrive in time to be seated at least 15 minutes in advance for the start of the program.

A live-streaming webcast of the Hattiesburg ceremonies will be available via the university's Web site at www.usm.edu. Click on the "Commencement" link for more information.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge