University Announces Fall 2014 Commencement Speakers

November 7, 2014

Georgia Southern University will hold its 23rd Annual Fall Commencement with three graduation ceremonies at Hanner Fieldhouse on Friday, Dec. 12.

Rob Anderson

During the 9 a.m. graduation ceremony for the Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies, College of Education, College of Business Administration and the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Rob Anderson, University System of Georgia Vice Chancellor for Educational Access and Success will provide the commencement address. A native of Augusta, Georgia, Anderson holds degrees from The Citadel (B.A.) and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.). He is currently completing his doctoral dissertation at The University of Georgia’s Institute of Higher Education. Anderson’s scholarly focus is in the areas of student access and financial aid policy with a particular interest in merit aid programs and their impact on institutional and student outcomes.

Col. Thomas Tickner

Col. Thomas J. Tickner, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, will speak at the 11 a.m. ceremony for the Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies, College of Science and Mathematics, Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Information Technology and College of Health and Human Sciences. Tickner was commissioned as a Distinguished Military Graduate in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers through the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) in 1989. He began his military career in the 326th Engineer Battalion, 101st Airborne Division and has since served in numerous leadership roles achieving an array of military awards and decorations. Tickner is a native of Wayne, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Penn State with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He earned his master’s from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Vic Reynolds

Georgia Southern alumnus Vic Reynolds (‘79), district attorney of Cobb County, will return to campus to serve as the commencement speaker at the 1 p.m. graduation ceremony for the Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies, Center for International Studies and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. A native of Rome, Georgia, Reynolds obtained a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southern and a law degree from the College of Law at Georgia State University. Reynolds is a former police officer, assistant district attorney, and chief magistrate judge. He serves as the Chairman of the Cobb Elder Abuse Task Force, is on the advisory board at Kennestone Hospital and is a member of the Marietta Kiwanis Club.

The commencement ceremonies will be streamed live at GeorgiaSouthern.edu/commencement. Family members and friends of graduates are encouraged to join the conversation on social media using #GSGrad14.

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers more than 125-degree programs serving more than 20,500 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement.  Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education.