NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University will confer more than 700 degrees Saturday, Dec. 14 during the University’s Fall 2013 commencement ceremony beginning at 9 a.m. in the Gentry Complex.
Candidates eligible for degree include 440 students earning undergraduate degrees, 219 receiving graduate degrees and 45 doctoral candidates. Nine graduate students will receive education specialist degrees, while eight students will receive graduate certificates. The number of graduates includes those students completing degree requirements in the Summer 2013 semester who are participating in the fall ceremony.
Also notable are 68 students eligible to graduate with honors, including 11 earning summa cum laude (GPA of at least 3.75), 18 magna cum laude (GPA of at least 3.50) and 39 earning cum laude (GPA of at least 3.25).
Bishop Joseph W. Walker III, the charismatic pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, will deliver the keynote address. Walker, described as a teacher, humanitarian, philanthropist, businessman and community volunteer, has been the pastor at Mt Zion since 1992. Under his leadership, the church membership has grown from 175 when he started to 28,000. During that time, the church, considered one of the largest in the city, has expanded beyond its original location in the historic Jefferson Street corridor to seven weekly services in three locations, as well as online and through social media outlets.
Currently the Bishop of Senior Pastors in the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International, Walker’s leadership at Mt. Zion has also expanded to Jackson, Tenn., where the church has adopted the Zion Church.
A prolific writer, the Baton Rouge, La., native has authored eight books, including his latest, “Becoming A Couple of Destiny: Living, Loving and Creating a Life that Matters,” which he co-wrote with his wife, Dr. Stephanie Walker, assistant professor of Pediatrics and Neonatology at Vanderbilt University.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from Southern University, a Master of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton University. Walker is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross, and holds a governor-appointed post on the Tennessee Human Rights Commission.
For more information about commencement, visit http://www.tnstate.edu/records/commencement/
Questions about graduation may be directed to the Office of the Registrar at 615-963-5300.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
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Nashville, Tennessee 37209
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About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.