WHAT: UNK Summer Commencement
WHEN: 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 9
WHERE: UNK Health and Sports Center
SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow @UNKearney on Instagram, Facebook and X to see photos and posts
LIVE BROADCAST: Watch commencement live at http://unk.edu/eventdashboard
VIEW THE FULL LIST OF SUMMER GRADUATES
KEARNEY – The University of Nebraska at Kearney will host its summer commencement 10 a.m. Friday at the Health and Sports Center on campus.
Interim Chancellor Charlie Bicak will confer degrees for 200 graduate and undergraduate students during the ceremony. History professor Roger Davis will deliver the keynote address.
A native of Warren, Ohio, Davis earned a bachelor’s degree from Youngstown State University and a master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Arizona. He taught at the University of Arizona, Pima Community College, American Graduate School of International Management and University of Nevada, Las Vegas before joining UNK in 1986. His research focuses on 19th century state development and national culture, Hispanics in the U.S. and the history of higher education in the U.S.
Outside the classroom, Davis has served in numerous roles at the campus, state and national levels. Currently, he’s an editorial board member for History Reviews Online, a reader for Educational Testing Service and a member of the Central Community College Board of Governors.
The student speaker is Melisa Becerra González, who graduates summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in political science and minors in global peace and security and women’s and gender studies.
Originally from Bucaramanga, Colombia, Becerra González was recruited to UNK to play tennis. The former team captain earned numerous athletic and academic honors from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) and Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) and was named the 2023-24 UNK Female Student-Athlete of the Year. She helped lead the Lopers to their first-ever MIAA regular-season title and their first appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Becerra González received the 2024 ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award for the Central Region.
Also a recipient of UNK’s Mary Jane and William R. Nester Student Leadership Award, Becerra González participated in undergraduate research and studied abroad in Northern Ireland and Cuba. She was involved in Intercultural Engagement and Leadership, the Phi Sigma Alpha honor society and Women Are Problematic, a student organization that focuses on women’s rights and female empowerment.
University of Nebraska Regent Kathy Wilmot will also address the graduates. The national anthem will be performed by UNK vocal music professor Sharon O’Connell Campbell and lecturer/accompanist Marilyn Musick.
Those who are unable to attend in person may watch the ceremony via livestream on UNK’s website. A recording can also be viewed later on the website.
PARKING INFO
Commencement attendees are encouraged to park in the lots west of the Health and Sports Center. Visitors with handicap permits can park east of the Health and Sports Center. Those transporting a handicapped person will have access to drop off the individual on the east side of the complex but will need to move their vehicle to another lot.
Visitors with wheelchairs can sit in the corner seating sections on the main floor of the Health and Sports Center or use the elevator in the northeast corner of the building to sit in the designated section on the arena floor.
Doors open at 8 a.m.
BAG/PURSE POLICY
Guests should expect a visual inspection of person, bags and clothing capable of concealing prohibited items. Small clutch purses and wallets are preferred at entry and will expedite inspection.
PROHIBITED ITEMS
For safety reasons, prohibited items include but are not limited to:
- Any type of weapon, fake weapon or object resembling a weapon. This includes firearms, knives, tasers, chains and any item deemed to compromise public safety.
- Alcohol, drugs, illegal substances, vaporizing pens/E-cigs or any paraphernalia associated with drug use. The Health and Sports Center is a smoke-free facility.
- Animals (except service animals).
- Laser pens/pointers of any type.
- Noisemakers (including air horns, cowbells or whistles).
If a prohibited item is revealed during a search, patrons may dispose of the item or they may return the item to their vehicle. The UNK Health and Sports Center does not safeguard any personal belongings or items of any type.
