President Mary Sue Coleman will be one of three speakers at Michigan State University’s commencement ceremonies in December.
Coleman will speak at the advanced-degree ceremony, which will be at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center. She will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by such a great institution. I have deep respect for Michigan State University and (MSU President) Lou Anna Simon,” Coleman said.
“There is no denying the spirited rivalry between the University of Michigan and MSU, particularly this week,” she added, referring to the annual in-state rivalry football game to be played Saturday at Spartan Stadium. “What really matters, however, are our respective academic strengths and the exceptional graduates who leave our universities. I look forward to sharing in such a special day for Spartan graduates in December.”
Simon will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during U-M’s winter commencement Dec. 15 at Crisler Center.
“I’ve been privileged to work with Mary Sue Coleman in many ways for several years, and she has been a strong champion for higher education, for the state of Michigan, for her institution and for a diverse student body,” Simon said.
Coleman has honorary doctorates from Grinnell College, Luther College, the University of Kentucky, Albion College, Dartmouth College, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Northeastern University, the University of Toledo, the University of Notre Dame, Grand Valley State University, the University of North Carolina and Eastern Kentucky University.
Speaking at MSU’s two undergraduate ceremonies on Dec. 14 will be James Hackett, CEO of Steelcase Inc., and Sergio Marchionne, chairman and CEO of Chrysler Group, LLC, and CEO of Fiat S.p.A.
