Texas A&M University-San Antonio fall graduates will receive their diplomas 6 p.m, Dec. 18 at Community Bible Church, 2477 N. Loop 1604 E. Retired Texas Supreme Court Justice Harriet O’Neill will deliver the commencement address to more than 400 candidates alongside their families and university faculty and administration.
Texas A&M-San Antonio will award its first honorary degree to Ida “Weisie” Clement Steen, Regent Emerita of The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. In February, the board granted her the title “Regent Emerita” in honor of her outstanding service and dedication to Texas A&M University-San Antonio and the State of Texas, and approved the recommendation for bestowal of an honorary degree by the university she was instrumental in bringing to San Antonio.
Steen will join 343 undergraduate candidates and 99 graduate candidates at Sunday’s ceremony. Forty MBA degrees will be conferred at this ceremony – nearly twice as many than at the last commencement in May. The high number of graduates mirrors the trend of growing enrollment at A&M-San Antonio: more than 13% increase in enrollment from fall 2010, and 149% growth since the university achieved stand-alone status 2009. Of those students, approximately 74% are the first in their families to graduate.
“Our graduates are so inspiring to me. With so many of our students the first in their family to earn a university degree, it is a day of pride for their whole family as they watch their hero cross the stage,” said Dr. Maria Hernandez Ferrier, president of Texas A&M University-San Antonio. “Our students are prepared to contribute to their communities and the workforce because of what they’ve learned here, both inside and outside the classroom. They are our future business leaders and educators.”
