May 2025 Notes from the Provost
Dear Faculty and Staff,
Every year, I am amazed by how quickly the final weeks of the semester rush in—and how seamlessly we come together as a college community to pull off graduation like a well-oiled machine.
Commencement capped off a week of celebrations and student achievements: more than 500 cadets, active-duty and veteran students participated in the Saturday morning commencement exercise and 348 graduate and evening undergraduate students participated in the afternoon ceremony. Twenty-eight members of the Honors Program received certificates for completing one of the college’s most challenging academic paths; 20 future nurses were honored in a traditional pinning ceremony; and more than 150 graduates were commissioned into the armed forces. Some of the other many highlights of graduation:
- Cadet Andrew Thomas Palmer, who had a triple major and a perfect GPA, was named the First Honor Graduate, and Cadet Timothy Aaron Kolb, a mechanical engineering major with a 4.0, was named the Second Honor Graduate.
- Political Science Professor Michael Sun was awarded the James A. Grimsley Award for Undergraduate Teaching Excellence.
- 67 legacy students graduated—there were 52 alumni presenters in the morning ceremony and 15 in the afternoon.
And that’s a wrap!
Thank you for your hard work and dedication. Your behind-the-scenes work was thoughtful and well orchestrated, and was vital in making the day meaningful for our graduates and their families. Please take some time to rejuvenate after the semester—you deserve it.
Until August,
Brigadier General Sally Selden, Ph.D., SPHR
Provost and Dean of the College
