More than 200 students will graduate during BHSU fall commencement Dec. 10

The 172nd Black Hills State University commencement ceremony is Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016, at 10 a.m. in the Donald E. Young Sports and Fitness Center.

More than 200 candidates for graduation will be recognized during the 172nd Black Hills State University commencement ceremony.

The fall commencement ceremony begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Donald E. Young Sports and Fitness Center on the BHSU campus. The public is invited to attend and celebrate the students' achievements. Degrees to be awarded include 13 master's degrees, 186 bachelor's degrees, and 26 associate's degrees.

The commencement processional will be led with the University mace carried by Student Senate President Brittany Thompson from Spearfish.

Dr. Chris Crawford, provost and vice president for academic affairs at BHSU, and John Bastian, with the South Dakota Board of Regents, will offer greetings to the graduates. BHSU President Dr. Tom Jackson, Jr., with the assistance of April Meeker, registrar at BHSU, will present diplomas to the graduation candidates.

Steve Meeker, vice president for University Advancement, will welcome graduates into the Alumni Association.

The National Anthem and "Hymn to BHSU" will be performed by the BHSU Concert Choir under the direction of Dr. Jonathan Nero, associate professor of music. Special music "Climb Every Mountain" by Richard Rodgers will be performed by Jennifer Loftin, music major from Sturgis. The processional will be performed by Dr. Symeon Waseen, associate professor of music, and Dr. Christopher Hahn, assistant professor of music.

The fall 2016 commencement ceremony will be broadcast live at www.BHSU.edu/Classof2016 for those who are unable to attend. BHSU encourages attendees to share their commencement story on social media with the hashtag #BHSU2016 in Twitter, Facebook and Instagram posts. A photo gallery from the ceremony will be available at http://photos.BHSU.edu after Monday, Dec. 12.