Kennesaw State University will hold its first combined Commencement since consolidating with Southern Polytechnic State University in January. Five graduation ceremonies will be conducted in the KSU Convocation Center on the Kennesaw Campus, beginning with Commencement on Tuesday, Dec. 15, at 10 a.m. More than 2,500 students will graduate on Dec. 15 and 16. The University, one of the 50 largest public universities in the country, graduates approximately 5,500 students each year during fall, spring and summer commencements.

DEC. 15, COMMENCEMENT SCHEDULE:

Speaker: John Omachonu, senior vice provost and professor of communication, Kennesaw State University

College of Humanities and Social Sciences – 10 a.m.

John Omachonu has more than 20 years of experience in international broadcasting and higher education. As senior vice provost at Kennesaw State, Omachonu assists the University’s provost and vice president for academic affairs and works in a role vital to the institution’s post-consolidation growth and transition. Omachonu received his B.S. in psychology/zoology, his M.A. in mass communication, and his Ph.D. in mass communication from Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Speaker: E.K. Park, dean of the College of Computing and Software Engineering, Kennesaw State University

College of Architecture and Construction Management, College of Computing and Software Engineering, and Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology – 2 p.m.

With 26 years of leadership, research and teaching expertise, E.K. Park has held numerous leadership positions in higher education. Previously, Park was the vice provost of research and dean of graduate studies at the California State University, Chico, where he oversaw the university’s Research Office and Sponsored Programs Office. He also was a professor in the university’s Department of Computer Science. Park earned his Ph.D. in computer science from Northwestern University.

Speaker: Bert Reeves, Georgia Representative, House District 34

Graduate College – 7 p.m.

In November 2014, Bert Reeves was elected to represent House District 34, which includes parts of Kennesaw and Marietta. He graduated from North Cobb High School and he earned his Bachelor of Science in Management from Georgia Tech. He earned his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Stetson University in St. Petersburg, Fla. Reeves is an attorney and owner of the Law Office of Bert Reeves. He previously was a partner at the Marietta law firm Garrett McNatt Hennessey & Carpenter, and before that he was a Cobb County assistant district attorney.

DEC. 16, COMMENCEMENT SCHEDULE:

Speaker: Charles Ross, vice president for economic development and community engagement, Kennesaw State University

Michael J. Coles College of Business and College of Science and Mathematics – 10 a.m.

As KSU’s chief economic development officer, Charles Ross provides campus-wide leadership in deploying University resources to support northwest Georgia’s economic development efforts and engaging off-campus communities. He chairs the KSU Economic Development Task Force and oversees the Offices of Community Engagement and Government Relations. He holds an electrical engineering degree from Marquette University and a MBA from Indiana University.

Speaker: Kathleen (K.C.) White, vice president of student affairs, Kennesaw State University

College of the Arts, Leland and Clarice C. Bagwell College of Education, WellStar College of Health and Human Services, and University College – 3 p.m.

As the divisional leader focused on assuring student success, K.C. White oversees, manages, and directs the University’s Division of Student Affairs and provides campus-wide leadership in planning, integrating, and conducting co-curricular student programs and activities. White holds a Doctor of Education from Florida State University, a Master of Education from the University of South Carolina, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Stetson University in DeLand, Fla.