May 7, 2010
Contact:
Elizabeth Klipp, 404-413-1356
University Relations
ATLANTA - Georgia State University will confer 3,152 degrees to undergraduate and graduate students in commencement ceremonies on May 15.
Internationally acclaimed journalist Christiane Amanpour will be the keynote speaker at the ceremony for bachelor, master and specialist degree candidates at 2 p.m. in the Georgia Dome. In addition to giving the keynote address, Amanpour will receive an honorary degree from Georgia State.
"Her prominence among international correspondents is a testament not only to her considerable journalistic talents, but also to her extraordinary grasp of global affairs and her willingness to go to the story even when getting or being there is risky," Georgia State President Mark Becker said.
A separate ceremony for doctoral degree candidates will start at 9 a.m. in the Rialto Center for the Arts, located at 80 Forsyth St. NW. The keynote speaker for the Ph.D. hooding ceremony will be Hugh D. Hudson Jr., professor and chair of GSU's history department.
Hudson has researched and published numerous articles on the history of Russia and the Soviet Union, and has received numerous fellowships and awards during his career that spans more than two decades.
In addition, Georgia State University’s College of Law will hold its own ceremony for the 202 juris doctorate degree candidates at 4:30 p.m. on Friday in the GSU Sports Arena, located at 125 Decatur St.
Justice David E. Nahmias of the Supreme Court of Georgia will deliver the commencement address at the College of Law ceremony. Prior to his justice appointment in August 2009 by Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, Nahmias served as the United States Attorney in Atlanta from December 2004. For more information on the College of Law commencement, visit http://law.gsu.edu/commencement.
In total this spring, GSU is expected to confer 2,096 bachelor's degrees, 966 master's degrees, 25 specialist degrees, 65 doctoral degrees and 202 juris doctorate degrees.
Leading the platform party processional during the afternoon commencement ceremony will be GSU Student Government Association President James Dutton, who is graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics along with his mother, Debbie, who is earning a bachelor's degree in history.
"I'm really excited and I know my classmates are too," said Dutton, who is attending GSU's College of Law in the fall. "The changes we all hope to see in the future will be made by us. I think now is the time to consider, ‘How are we going to change the world?'"
Two other Georgia State students will be recognized during the afternoon commencement ceremony.
Mariya Skovardanova, a double major in risk management and insurance as well as finance, will be honored with the Kell Award for highest GPA of the 2010 class. Born in Bulgaria and raised in a small town with one school, Skovardanova came to the United State in sixth grade and attended East Cobb County schools. After graduation, she plans to find a job as a financial analyst to continue learning about the risk management field and later enroll in a graduate program.
Terrance Rogers, who is earning a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance with a Certificate in International Business, will be given the Trotter Award for his outstanding community service. While at GSU, Rogers worked as a resident assistant, volunteered with "Panther Breakaway: Alternative Spring Break" and served as SGA vice president of budget and finance. He was also a member of the Zeta Mu chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., a member of the 1913 Society and co-founder and president of the GSU Economic Empowerment Initiative, where he helped teach financial literacy to more than 2,000 high school and college students.
Rogers will be first in his family to graduate when he walks during the commencement ceremony. He will begin working as an asset management analyst with Deutsche Bank in New York City, N.Y., in the fall.
"Throughout my life, I've been inspired by my mother's efforts to better her children's lives," Rogers said. "Her unselfish love inspires me to continue to press forward towards my dreams, while still helping others reach theirs."
For more information on the commencement ceremonies, including directions, parking, what time to arrive and where to assemble, visit: www.gsu.edu/commencement.