Hundreds of students graduating in May will hear inspiring words from individuals in medicine, education, and the energy sector as part of Clayton State University’s spring 2018 commencement exercises. 

College of Arts & Sciences students attending the 9 a.m. ceremony on Saturday, May 5, will hear from Dr. Branko Skovrlj, a board-registered neurological surgeon with North Jersey Spine Group. Dr. Skovrlj is an alumnus of Clayton State and a former student-athlete on the men’s basketball team.

He is a major contributor to the field of spine surgery, having presented more than 170 research works at numerous national and international spine society meetings, and has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications.

At 12 p.m. that day, graduating seniors from the College of Business, College of Health, and College of Information and Mathematical Sciences will receive the commencement address from Lisa Smith, regional director for Georgia Power’s Metro South Region.

Smith leads company operations that serve more than 265,000 customers in south metro Atlanta. She was named The Atlanta Business League’s Top 100 Black Women of Influence in 2016, and was recognized as one of 2016’s Women Worth Watching by Profiles in Diversity Journal.

Dr. Robert Vaughn, Jr., professor of English and dean of the School of Graduate Studies at Clayton State University, will speak to graduate students on Friday, May 4 during the commencement and hooding ceremony.

Dr. Vaughn oversees programming and admissions for the School of Graduate Studies, providing leadership and vision for the Clayton State’s eight master’s degree programs. He has also been featured in more than a dozen journals and periodicals, publishing works focused on Southern literature.

The University has also selected two student speakers to share their Clayton State experience during Saturday’s ceremonies. Antwaunette Rzaguliyev, a legal studies major, and Moroni de Moors, a health and fitness management major, will speak during commencement.

Clayton State’s spring 2018 commencement is scheduled for May 4-5 in the Athletics Center.

On Friday, May 4 at 5 p.m., graduate students from all majors and colleges will take part in commencement. On Saturday, May 5, Clayton State will continue to hold its morning and afternoon ceremonies for undergraduate students. Full details about Spring 2018 Commencement can be found at http://www.clayton.edu/commencement.