SEMO commencement ceremonies set for Saturday

More than 850 students will graduate from Southeast Missouri State University on Saturday, Dec. 16.

The university will hold two fall commencement ceremonies at the on-campus Show Me Center — 10 a.m. for students of Harrison College of Business and Computing, College of Humanities and Social Sciences and Holland College of Arts and Media and 2 p.m. for students of College of Education, Health and Human Studies and College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Michelle Kilburn

Michelle Kilburn — professor with the Department of Criminal Justice, Social Work and Sociology — will serve as the commencement speaker in the 10 a.m. ceremony, while R. Larry Bohannon — professor in the Department of Elementary, Early and Special Education — will speak for the 2 p.m. ceremony.

R. Larry Bohannon

The university will confer 580 undergraduate degrees, 267 master's degrees and nine specialist degrees. Sixteen students will graduate from the Jane Stephens Honors Program. Fifty-six students earned summa cum laude honors (3.9 to 4.0 cumulative grade point average), while 61 earned magna cum laude (3.75 to 3.89 GPA) and 109 earned cum laude (3.5 to 3.74 GPA). One hundred-nineteen students (24 undergraduates and 95 graduates) earned a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Kilburn's roles at the university have been diverse, including working part time as the administrative assistant for the MBA program while earning her undergraduate degree and serving as the first director of Southeast Online after completing her doctorate.

Kilburn often incorporates students in her research endeavors, which include serving as the primary investigator for a statewide study of client perceptions of Missouri Probation and Parole initiatives and co-editor of the book "Invisible Victims and the Pursuit of Justice: Analyzing Frequently Victimized Yet Rarely Discussed Populations". She has presented her research to the FBI National Academy Eastern Missouri Chapter and at more than 30 international and national conferences, including Harvard University. Kilburn has several recognitions for teaching, research and service at SEMO, such as the Provost's Award for Excellence in the Scholarship for Teaching and Learning, the College of Health and Human Services Outstanding Service Provider Award and the Outstanding Teacher Award, as well as multiple department awards.

Bohannon has taught in the areas of literacy, field supervision, educational psychology and autism at the graduate and undergraduate levels. He received honors faculty status and serves as a senator on Faculty Senate. He holds a doctorate in administration and higher learning from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. He also received a Bachelor of Science from Murray State University in Kentucky as well as master's and specialist degrees from Southeast Missouri State University. He joined the University in 2007 and has received multiple awards, including the Provost's Award, Outstanding Advisor Award, Greek Week Professor of the Year, College Teacher Effectiveness Award, College Professional Growth Award and College Service Award. He also received the MSTA Meritorious Award and the Southeast Missouri State University Meritorious Award during his 28-year tenure at Sikeston (Missouri) Public Schools. At Southeast, Bohannon has served as faculty sponsor of the Student Missouri State Teachers Association (SMSTA) as well as a co-sponsor of Kappa Delta Pi. Southeast Missouri State University SMSTA is the largest in the state and is used as an model for other institutions. Bohannon has published in the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education; The National FORUM of Special Education Journal; Journal of Teacher Education; Forum for International Research in Education (FIRE); Journal of Education and Practice; The Journal of Education and Human Development; The Missouri Reader; The Oklahoma Reader; The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin; The OrffEcho Journal; General Music Today; and The Transescent, Journal of the Missouri Association of Middle Schools. He has also made presentations throughout the United States. Currently, Bohannon is the president of the Missouri Unit of Association of Teacher Educators (MUATE).