Contact: Kimberly Osborne (304) 766-3363 kosborne@wvstateu.edu

INSTITUTE, W.Va. – More than 260 students will graduate from West Virginia State University (WVSU) on Saturday, May 16, during a commencement ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. in the D. Stephen and Diane H. Walker Convocation Center.
“We are excited to share this special day with the newest graduates of West Virginia State University,” said WVSU President Brian O. Hemphill. “Their hard work, dedication and sacrifice as students pursuing their degrees is something that we as a State family are proud to honor.”
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Charles F. Bolden Jr., will be the keynote speaker for the commencement ceremony. A retired United States Marine Corps Major General, Bolden began serving as the 12th Administrator of NASA in 2009.
At NASA, Bolden has overseen the safe transition from 30 years of space shuttle missions to a new era of exploration focused on full utilization of the International Space Station and space and aeronautics technology development.
His 34-year career with the Marine Corps included 14 years as a member of NASA’s Astronaut Office. He traveled to orbit four times aboard the space shuttle, commanding two missions and piloting two others. After his final shuttle flight in 1994, he left NASA to return to active duty with the Marine Corps. He was promoted to major general in July 1998 and retired from the Marine Corps in 2003. He received his bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and his master’s degree from the University of Southern California.
WVSU holds commencement ceremonies in December and May of each year.
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