OSU News

OSU-Stillwater Commencement
STILLWATER, Okla. - Nearly 3,000 students were awarded degrees this weekend during Oklahoma State University’s 117th Commencement ceremonies before overflow crowds at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Delivering the undergraduate commencement addresses to the degree recipients and their families and friends Saturday were Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry and Lt. Gov. Jari Askins. OSU held its graduate commencement Friday night.

“Your new degree is not a lid on a jar full of lectures and examinations,” Gov. Henry told graduates Saturday morning. “Your degree is evidence that your mind has been opened and is prepared for further learning and advancement.

“Excuses are too often employed to mask the fear of failure,” he said. “But I urge you: Do not be afraid of failure. Failure, in fact, is the inevitable and unfailing companion of success.

“So dream, and do not be discouraged from pursuing the most ambitious of your dreams. Reach for everything you can imagine, and more than you will ever grasp,” Gov. Henry said.

The newest graduates of Oklahoma State University join more than 200,000 alumni worldwide that include world, national and state leaders; renowned business leaders, educators, health and wellness practitioners, entertainers and sports figures.
Top scholars continue to choose OSU as their springboard to the world, said OSU President Burns Hargis.

“OSU is a vital part of Oklahoma’s past, present and certainly its future,” said Hargis. “We know this graduating class will do a wonderful job serving our state and our world.”

Sixty percent of Oklahoma State University graduates choose to stay in Oklahoma and work hand-in-hand with other Oklahomans to continue advancing the state to create even more opportunities for future generations.

During his commencement address, Gov. Henry mentioned some special graduates among the OSU class of 2008:
•   Christy Milliken of Edmond, who is receiving bachelor’s degrees with honors in English and economics, and who will spend next year teaching English in Indonesia on a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship.
•   Two Iraqi war veterans, Brandon Duncan of Chandler, a management major, and Raymond Henry of Enid, a secondary education major. OSU has a rich military history, and the university’s ROTC program is considered one of the best in the nation.
•   Hideyoshi Shigeta from Kameoka, Japan, sister city to Stillwater, receives his bachelor’s degree in animal science; the fourth child in his family to earn a degree from OSU.
•   Lucas Vincent Smith, from Perry, went to OSU with the help of the Oklahoma Promise Scholarship program and earned his degree in health promotions.

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