KENNESAW, Ga. | Jul 18, 2017

Former U.S. Energy Department official to address graduates

The Honorable LaDoris “Dot” Harris, the former director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the U.S. Department of Energy and a Southern Polytechnic State University alumna, will address more than 1,600 graduates at Kennesaw State University’s summer Commencement, beginning Friday, July 28, at 10 a.m.

Other speakers include Teresa M. Joyce, professor emeritus of management, and Mark R. Anderson, the dean of the College of Science and Mathematics. Kennesaw State President Samuel S. Olens will preside over the three graduation ceremonies in the KSU Convocation Center on the Kennesaw Campus.

(Click here for a downloadable photo of Samuel S. Olens)

JULY 28, COMMENCEMENT SCHEDULE

10 a.m. – College of Architecture and Construction Management, Coles College of Business, College of Computing and Software Engineering, Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, and WellStar College of Health and Human Services

Speaker: The Honorable LaDoris “Dot” Harris, former director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the U.S. Department of Energy

Nominated by President Barack Obama, the Honorable LaDoris “Dot” Harris served as director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the U.S. Department of Energy from April 2012 until January 2017. Harris ensured minorities and historically underrepresented communities were afforded opportunities to actively participate in the Department’s programs. She holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Carolina and an M.S. in Technology Management from Southern Polytechnic State University. She received honorary doctorate degrees from Chicago State University and Clark Atlanta University. Harris is co-founder, chairman and CEO of Jabo Industries, a successful minority-woman owned engineering management consulting firm concentrated primarily in the energy, information technology, logistics and healthcare industries.

(Click here for downloadable photo of LaDoris “Dot” Harris)

3 p.m. – College of the Arts, Bagwell College of Education, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics, and University College.

Speaker: Teresa M. Joyce, professor emeritus of management, Kennesaw State University

Teresa M. Joyce received a B.B.A. in Management Science from Saint Bonaventure University, and M.B.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh. Joyce joined KSU (then Kennesaw College) in 1987 as an assistant professor of management. She has served as chair of the department of management and entrepreneurship, dean of the Graduate College, and as KSU’s first associate provost, then senior vice provost. In 2014, Joyce accepted the position of associate vice chancellor for Academic Affairs for the University System of Georgia. Joyce retired from KSU and the University System of Georgia in January 2016. She currently serves as director of the Charles and Lorraine Joyce Family Foundation, established in honor of her parents to support not-for-profit organizations in Allegany County, New York.

(Click here for downloadable photo of Teresa M. Joyce)

7 p.m. – Graduate College

Speaker: Mark R. Anderson, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics. Kennesaw State University

Mark R. Anderson is the dean of the College of Science and Mathematics at Kennesaw State University. Anderson received the 2003 Virginia Tech College of Science Certificate of Teaching Excellence Award, the 2004 Department of Chemistry Teaching Excellence Award, and the 1996 Society for Electroanalytical Chemistry’s Young Investigator Award. He has authored/coauthored 50 peer reviewed publications. Anderson is a member of the executive committee for Georgia Bio and the board of directors for the Comprehensive University sub-committee of the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Indiana University, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Anderson conducted post-doctoral studies at the University of Utah and was a visiting scholar at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

(Click here for downloadable photo of Mark R. Anderson)

Kennesaw State University Convocation Center, 1000 Chastain Road, Kennesaw, Ga., 30144

For directions and campus map: http://www.kennesaw.edu/commencement/visit/directions.php.

For more information, please go to http://www.kennesaw.edu/commencement/.

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 45,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.