Posted on May 17, 2006

MURRAY, Ky., May 13 — The line seemed never-ending on Saturday, May 13, as Murray State University’s class of 2005-06 marched into the Regional Special Events Center for one of the biggest days in their college career. Degree applicants reached an all-time high of 1,262 students this spring, giving the university a strong indication early on that Interim President Kern Alexander would be conferring degrees to a record number of students participating in the 2006 Spring Commencement. Murray’s Army ROTC Color Guard led the event with the Presentation of Colors. After welcoming remarks, Interim President Alexander affirmed Murray State University’s commitment to excellence and continual high rankings by leading national publication sources such as Kaplan’s and Kiplinger’s, and noted that Murray students could be proud to graduate from a school that is consistently ranked as one of America’s Best Colleges by U.S.News & World Report. He recalled when past commencements outgrew Lovett Auditorium and Racer Arena, and have now expanded to fill the Regional Special Events Center for both May and December graduation exercises. Spanning the capacity crowd, he proclaimed the turnout a “measure of success for higher education in western Kentucky.” Alexander told the graduates that they could take great satisfaction knowing that they graduated from a top-flight university. “Further, you may take pride in knowing that your graduating class is one of the most accomplished and successful classes in the history of Murray State University. Among you, we have greater academic achievements and talent than ever before, higher test scores and the most promising educational careers in our history. The board of regents, faculty, staff and I are proud of each and every one of you and I know that a wonderful future awaits you.” Touching on past, present and future, Interim President Alexander announced the recent hiring of Dr. Randy Dunn as the 11th president of Murray State University. Currently fulfilling the position of superintendent of education in Illinois, Dunn is expected to officially begin duties at Murray late this year. Kern Alexander also delivered a special message to the graduates from his son and immediate past president, F. King Alexander, who is now serving as president of California State University at Long Beach. The elder Alexander said he had talked personally with his son who asked that he relay this message to the graduates. “‘This is my graduating class of 2006. I came with them and spent my four wonderful years as president of MSU with the class of 2006. I worked, played and learned with them. Tell them I miss them and that I congratulate them on this important graduation day. If they need help in the future, tell them not to hesitate to call me. My heart is in Murray.’” Presenting the first of two valedictions was Tera Rica Murdock of Murray, Ky., Murray State’s 2006 Outstanding Senior Woman. She is the daughter of Rick and Stacy Murdock. A summa cum laude graduate, Murdock is a candidate for the Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry and Spanish. Her future educational plans are to attend Vanderbilt Law School. — More — 2006 Commencement Highlights • Page 2 Murdock said rather than offering advice to her peers, she brought reflection and a prayer. She termed Murray as just the right size to share common experiences, even if you don’t personally know each other. “Murray State has offered countless opportunities to each of us that we didn’t include in our plans (when graduating from high school),” Murdock said. “The election we won, or lost, the clubs we’ve joined, the jobs we’ve had, the research we performed and the classes we’ve taken abroad have all affected us and molded us. I expect that most of us are graduating today as a different person than we ever expected to be … and it was not an easy process.” Quoting from Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke, Murdock encouraged the graduates to “have patience with everything unresolved in your heart … Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.” Murdock said “If we recognize anything today, we know that our plans are not our own and that we must be directed on our path in life. My prayer for the graduating class is that we continue to live into our own answers, to grow in understanding and be blessed with the gift of discernment. King Solomon, when asked by God about what he desired the most, asked for a discerning heart so that he could distinguish between right and wrong and be perceptive to the best path for his life. Today, I congratulate the graduating class of 2006 for developing the discerning hearts that have led us to this day and I leave all of us with the prayer that we continue to be blessed with discernment.” The 2006 Outstanding Senior Man, Mitchum Lee Owen of Buchanan, Tenn., was next to address the graduating class. He is the son of Mary Kay Dykes and Jerry Owen, both of Paris. A candidate for the Bachelor of Science degree in electronic media, with minors in Telecommunications Systems Management and Business Administration, Owen graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. His future plans include involvement with e-commerce and then graduate school. Admitting that he was nervous about preparing a speech for graduation, Owen delivered it without a glitch. “How does one write to an audience of 8-9,000 people who come from all over the world? We’re all so different,” he noted. Pointing out the multiple majors pursued by the candidates and different degrees that would be presented in the ceremony, Owen said the graduates represented a mix of traditional students in their late teens and early 20s, to non-traditional students that possessed more years of real-world experience. “When you think about it, where else but at a university can you see such a diverse group of people working together? We are all here to educate ourselves, to learn more about our chosen profession and the world around us.” Owen said the one thing that he most hoped people would remember from his commencement address was his plea for everyone to continue their educational process. “It (education) is the most important thing you can do for yourself, your family, your friends and your community,” Owen stressed. “In college, a learning mindset comes easily because of the environment. Once you get into the real world, you won’t have a professor giving reading assignments. You’ll have to take the initiative yourself.” — More — 2006 Commencement Highlights • Page 3 Owen encouraged those present to practice what he considered a valuable life lesson — to give something back to their respective communities. Noting the many campus groups that provide opportunities for service, he commended the cooperative spirit between the community and campus and urged graduates to continue to find ways to give back wherever they went from here. “Success comes from knowing people, from getting them to help you and to help them back,” Owen remarked. “I encourage you to maintain the friendships that you have made here. You have an awesome resource around you. It is also essential that you take time to celebrate, and that is why we are here today.” On that note, Owen concluded with three words … “please party responsibly.” In addition to being a special day for the 2006 graduates, Saturday was also a big event for members of the Golden Class of 1956 who returned to campus to celebrate their 50-year reunion. Interim President Alexander praised the success of many past Murray graduates that has produced Pulitzer Prize winners, physicians, entertainers, educators, researchers and others that have followed on to prominent careers. Anna M. McHargue, M.D., was introduced as the 2006 Distinguished Alumnus. A 1956 summa cum laude graduate, McHargue became the first female flight surgeon at Travis Air Force Base in California and is recognized as a pioneer for women on the flight line. She logged more than 3,500 flying hours during her 24 years in the military and retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserves with a rank of colonel. Her numerous awards include the Legion of Merit, the Aerial Achievement Medal and the National Defense Medal with one Bronze Star. Oliver Muscio, Council chair, assisted Interim President Alexander with the Residential College Investiture, making the graduates lifetime members of their collegiate residential college. Murray implemented the residential college system in 1996 and it remains one of the few institutions of higher education around the country where the concept is active. Dr. Gary R. Brockway, provost presided over the awarding of degrees. The 2005-06 class produced an astounding number of honor graduates that included 20 students who received the Honors Diploma and wore the Honors Diploma Medallion, signifying that had completed all requirements of Murray State’s prestigious Honors Program. There were 97 students recognized as Summa Cum Laude for achieving a cumulative grade point average of 3.80 to 4.00. Magna Cum Laude graduates (3.60-3.79) totaled 102, and 153 students earned Cum Laude status of 3.30-3.59.