Spring Commencement Ceremonies 2022

TAHLEQUAH — Commencement ceremonies for 2022 spring and summer Northeastern State University graduates will take place May 6, 7, and 9.

A little more than 1,200 undergraduate and graduate students will receive their degrees during the commencement ceremonies in Tahlequah and Tulsa.

The Oklahoma College of Optometry ceremony will take place on Friday, May 6 at 4 p.m. in the NSU Center for the Performing Arts on the Tahlequah campus. The College of Liberal Arts ceremony will also take place on May 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the NSU Event Center on the Tahlequah campus. 

The Gregg Wadley College of Science & Health Professions ceremony will be on Saturday, May 7 at 9 a.m. in the NSU Event Center. The College of Business & Technology and College of Education ceremony will take place on May 7 at 1:30 p.m. in the NSU Event Center. 

The ceremony for all NSU Broken Arrow colleges will take place on Monday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the ORU Mabee Center in Tulsa. 

There will be no tickets or a per-student limit on guests for any of the ceremonies. The ceremonies will be live-streamed for those unable to attend. 

Addressing the graduates and guests at the 2022 spring commencement ceremonies will be Cherokee Nation Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner and Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Chancellor Allison D. Garrett.

Warner graduated from NSU with a bachelor’s degree in organismic biology in 2009. He went on to get his master’s in education/instructional technology from East Central University.

Warner would go on to teach chemistry, biology, microbiology and botany at Carl Albert State College. He later accepted a position as the campus director at the Sallisaw Campus in 2017.

Throughout his career Warner has been a strong advocate for Native Americans which has earned him accolades such as being honored by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development in 2016 as one of the 40 Under 40.

He has also held several public offices and committee positions focused on the betterment of tribal citizens. He is a former District 6 representative on the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council where he championed the Cherokee Nation Foster Care program and worked diligently to bring positive changes to his district. He also serves on the Tribal Advisory Committee for the CDC. Last August, he was chosen to be the next chair of that committee.

Garrett is the chief executive officer for the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education. Garrett leads a state system comprised of 25 state colleges and universities, 11 constituent agencies, one university center and independent colleges and universities coordinated with the state system. 

Prior to her role as Chancellor, she served as the 17th president of Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas.

Garrett also served as executive vice president of Abilene Christian University, senior vice president for academic affairs at Oklahoma Christian University and as an associate professor of law at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama.

She also worked for more than a decade at the Walmart Inc. corporate offices, holding the positions of vice president and general counsel for the corporate division and vice president of benefits compliance and planning.

A native of Neosho, Missouri, Garrett holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Oklahoma Christian University, a juris doctorate from The University of Tulsa College of Law and a Master of Laws in securities regulation from Georgetown University.

For more information on commencement, visit http://www.nsuok.edu/commencement.