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Contact: Julie Navejar
kajam03@tamuk.edu or 361-593-2590

 

Winter Commencement ceremonies held

KINGSVILLE (December 9, 2005) — It was the end of the college era, but the beginning of a new career and a bright future as 530 students received degrees from Texas A&M University-Kingsville during two winter commencement ceremonies held Friday, Dec. 9, in the Steinke Physical Education Center.

There were 344 bachelor’s degrees, 172 master’s degrees and 15 doctoral degrees given, 13 from the College of Education and two from the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences. One student received two bachelor’s degrees.

This is the largest fall graduating class and the sixth largest overall since the early 1970s. This commencement also had the largest number of master’s degree awarded since August 1989 and the second largest number of doctoral degree granted.

The keynote speaker for both ceremonies was William R. “Bill” Vessey, alumnus and meteorologist for KIII-TV Channel 3 in Corpus Christi. Vessey produces and anchors weather segments for the top-rated weekday morning news show 3 News First Edition.

He also is adjunct professor at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where he teaches meteorology. In addition, he is public relations director for the Corpus Christi Greyhound Race Track.

The majority of the members of the winter class of 2005 were from Texas with 405 from the Lone Star State. Nine were from another state and 115 were from other countries when they entered the university. The most frequent county of origin was Bexar with 96 graduates, followed by Kleberg with 63, Nueces with 49, Hidalgo with 30 and Jim Wells with 28. More than half of the graduating students were minorities. The class was 53 percent female.

Of the bachelor’s graduates 37 percent entered the university as first-time freshmen while the remaining 63 percent were transfer students. The average age of those receiving bachelor’s degrees was 27. The average age of a master’s graduate was 28 and the average of the doctoral students was 40.

For bachelor’s degree recipients, the College of Arts and Sciences led the way with 110 graduates. They were followed by the College of Education with 93. Rounding out the list was the College of Business Administration with 80, the Frank H. Dotterweich College of Engineering with 42 and the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences with 19.

Four of the graduates were university employees, one received a bachelor’s degree and three earned their master’s.

Of the bachelor’s graduates, 90 were from Texas A&M University-Kingsville System Center-San Antonio. At the System Center, 63 percent of the graduates were minorities and 74 percent were female. The average age was 32.

This page last updated 15 December, 2005