By: LaTunya Evans
On Saturday, December 10, 2022, at 10 a.m., Mississippi Valley State University will host its Fall 2022 Commencement on the Chuck Prophet Football field at the Rice-Totten Stadium.
For the Fall 2022 Commencement, MVSU will graduate 130 students. The university will hold its Hooding Ceremony for the graduate students at 10 a.m., Thursday, December 8, 2022, in the Walter Roberts Auditorium located in the H.G. Carpenter Building.
This year, the graduates will receive words of motivation from Anthony “Tony” Mitchell who will serve as the keynote speaker for the celebration.
Mitchell was selected by President Joe Biden, to serves as the Senior Deputy Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in Washington, D.C. in August of 2022.
A graduate of Hampton University, Mitchell received a B.S. in Business Management with an emphasis in Labor Relations from Hampton University, making him the first HBCU graduate to hold his current position.
Mitchell served as the Acting Assistant Chair for Planning and Operations from March 2021 to June 2022.
He was also the NEH’s Chief Human Capital Officer and Director of the Office of Human Resources for 14 years.
Before Mitchell’s career with NEH, he was the director of employee benefits and WorkLife programs for the Transportation Security Administration, and as assistant director of employment and compensation for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency.
Mitchell started the ELF Project in 2006, which is a nonprofit organization that supports the children of Turner Elementary School in Washington, D.C.
Gates to the Rice-Totten Stadium will be open at 8 a.m. Entrance to the stadium will be on the east side of the stadium, the entrance to the home side of the stadium. Seating for all guests will be in the bleachers of the stadium. Guests are not permitted on the football field.
There will be no limit on the number of guests that is allowed if the ceremony is held in Rice-Totten. In the event of rain, there will be a limit of five guests for attendance of the ceremony which will be held in the Walter Roberts Auditorium of the H. G. Carpenter Building.
The following areas have been identified for visitor parking on the day of graduation in order of preference:
• Jacob Aron Student Union Parking Lot
• Sutton Administration Building Parking Lot (one-way traffic)
• Lawn across the street from Robert Harrison complex, pending weather
• Lawn across the street from William A. Butts Social Sciences Building, pending weather
• Industrial Technology Education Building Parking Lot, South Side
In the event of inclement weather, the commencement ceremony will be moved indoors to the Walter Roberts Auditorium of the H. G. Carpenter Building. The line-up will then take place in front of the J. H. White Library. Tickets and the wearing of masks will be required to attend the indoor ceremony.
All graduates can retrieve five tickets from the Office of Students Records, 662.254.3321, beginning on Wednesday, December 7, 2022. Graduates are encouraged to retrieve tickets prior to the event so that tickets can be distributed to guests prior to the event. No ticket distribution will occur on December 10, 2022. If the ceremony is held in Rice-Totten Stadium, tickets will NOT be required.