Prince, Busby to be student speakers at Spring Commencement

Morehead State University will hold its 2017 Spring Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 13, at the Academic-Athletic Center.

During the two programs, President Wayne D. Andrews will confer degrees on nearly 1,200 graduate and undergraduate students.

The first commencement program will start at 10 a.m. Students in the College of Business and Technology and College of Science will participate.

Jasmine Olivia Prince of Fairborn, Ohio, will be the morning student speaker. She is the daughter of Edward and Michelle Prince.

She is a candidate for a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science degree.

Prince has participated in the Undergraduate Research Fellowship program for three years under Dr. Kurt Gibbs in the Department of Biology and Chemistry. The lab where she works studies spinal cord injury and regeneration, using xenopus laevis frogs as model organisms.

She has maintained a 4.0 GPA, has been on the Dean’s List every semester, and was honored as a Graduate Dean Scholar.

Prince is a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and has held several leadership positions within her chapter. She was involved in Girl Scouts workshops, highway cleanup and a 5K run to raise money and awareness for Prevent Child Abuse America. She has been a participant in Best Buddies, served on its leadership team, including serving as the chapter president for a year, and attended a leadership conference. She also has been a member of the leadership team for the Baptist Campus Ministries for three years, where she was involved in Morehead Gateway Helping Hands Food Bank and Outreach Center along with Christian Social Services.

Prince will attend University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in the fall to pursue an M.D.

The afternoon commencement program will start at 2 p.m. Candidates from the College of Education and Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences will participate.

Kristin Marie Busby of Morehead is this afternoon’s student speaker. She is the daughter of Robert and Suzanne Busby of Morehead.

She is a candidate for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a W. Paul and Lucille Caudill Little Scholar for the Arts.

As an Undergraduate Research Fellow in the Claypool-Young Art Gallery, Busby focused on cultural programming, campus arts leadership and advocacy, and social media marketing. She gained additional arts administration experience as a museum assistant with the Kentucky Folk Art Center, as the cultural and advocacy events coordinator for the Student Programming Board, and a visual arts intern with Sojourn Arts and Culture in Louisville.

During her time at MSU, Busby was named a Graduate Dean Scholar, honored as an Outstanding Student in Art and Design (2014, 2016, 2017), and received the Award of Exceptional Merit at the Celebration of Student Scholarship (2015, 2016).

Her artwork has been exhibited across the state and published in multiple editions of “Inscape: Art and Literary Magazine” (2014, 2016, 2017). She also made the dean’s list every semester.

After graduation, Busby will intern with the Advancement Department in Special Events at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. She plans to use her experiences in arts administration and entrepreneurship to establish a social enterprise in the future.

During the afternoon ceremony, Joseph and Kelly Craft of Lexington will be presented with Honorary of Doctor of Public Service degrees.

In 2014, the Crafts pledged $4 million to establish Morehead State University’s Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a dual-credit residential high school for academically exceptional Kentucky students. The contribution is the single largest cash gift in the history of the University. Since the initial gift, the Crafts have committed an additional $2.8 million to establish and fund summer programs for Craft Academy students; to enhance staffing; and to improve the overall program.

For the commencement exercises, the grand marshal and mace bearers will be Dr. Stacy Baker and Dr. David Eisenhour.

Faculty marshals will be Dr. Frances L. Helphinstine, professor of English, and Dr. Dora Ahmadi, associate professor of mathematics.

Student marshals will be Anne M. Patrick and Maggie E. Todd, Graduate Programs; Maggie F. Pollitt and Brooklyn G. Williams, College of Science; Mark A. Curtis and Rachel Shelton, College of Business and Technology; Austin T. Johnson and Andrea B. Wallace, College of Education; Jacob C. Miller and Max  J. Prowant, Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

MSU Chamber Singers will sing the national anthem; MSU Concert Choir will lead the alma mater and will perform during the commencement program.

Following the ceremony, the newest alumni will be inducted into the MSU Alumni Association Inc. by its president, Jason Rainey.

ROTC students will be commissioned as part of each program.

No large bags or backpacks will be permitted in the AAC during the ceremonies and commuter buses will run from the U.S. 60 lot to the AAC.

Additional information on Spring Commencement exercises is available by calling 606-783-2008.

Watch commencement live online at http://ovcdigitalnetwork.com/watch/?Live=5579.

Pictured above, left to right, are Jasmine Prince and Kristin Busby.