Commencement Spring 2024
UNIVERSITY OF THE OZARKS
Saturday, May 11, 2024
Commencement Ceremony
Honoring the Class of 2024
9 a.m. | May 11, 2024
CALL TO ASSEMBLY Mo Ghile Mear (My Gallant Hero) Piper Roy Eggensperger
V PROCESSIONAL Pomp and Circumstance
V INVOCATION
PRESIDENT’S WELCOME
STUDENTS' WELCOME
INTRODUCTION OF THE SPEAKER
MESSAGE TO THE CANDIDATES
PRESENTATION OF THE CANDIDATES
CONFERRING OF DEGREES
INTRODUCTION OF THE GRADUATES
TASSEL CEREMONY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES' COMMENDATIONS
Edward Elgar
The Rev. Jeremy C. Wilhelmi University Chaplain
Mr. Richard L. Dunsworth, J.D. University President
Mr. Carter Little ’24
Mr. Richard L. Dunsworth, J.D.
Mr. Peter Van Dyke, J.D. ’87 U of O Alumnus and Trustee
Dr. Janie Diels
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Mr. Richard L. Dunsworth, J.D.
Dr. Janie Diels
Ms. Solena Martinez Aleman ’24 Hurie Award Recipient
Ms. Susan Pinson Chair, Board of Trustees
V ALMA MATER (Lyrics in back of the program) University Choir Graduates, Faculty, Guests
Ms. Katrina Twitty, Assistant Professor of Music
V BENEDICTION
V RECESSIONAL Procession of Nobles
The Rev. Jeremy C. Wilhelmi
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
The Gallant 42nd, Bonny Prince Charlie, Bluebells of Scotland Piper Roy Eggensperger
V Please stand, if able.
The audience will please remain standing until the entire recessional has withdrawn.
Please turn cell phones on silent mode. Smoking and other tobacco use is prohibited on campus. Please refrain from using horns or other noise-makers during the ceremony.
Dr. Befrika Murdianti, Marshal of Ceremonies
Dr. Javier Taylor, Marshal of Ceremonies
Dr. Brian Hardman, Marshal of Ceremonies
Dr. Amy Oatis, Marshal of Ceremonies
University Choir: Younes Adam Neymour, Rayelynn Carpenter, Fabian Duenas, Eber Martinez, Madden Weaver, Kathleen Wilken, Solange Avalo Martinez, Benjamin Beatty, Seria Shelby Cash, Gabrielle Alicia Huyler, Scottisha Alexandria King, Prudence Majoni, Carlos Molero Llopis, Naila Pierre, Duffy Porter, Stacie Roberts and Leah Lenae Rolle
University of the Ozarks 2024 Graduates
Oday Redwan Alfaori
Fayetteville, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Mathematics
Minor: Sociology
Magna Cum Laude
Solange Victoria Avalo Martínez
Masaya, Nicaragua
Bachelor of Science
Major: Psychology
Minor: Political Science
Bachelor of Arts
Majors: Sociology and Philosophy
Magna Cum Laude
McKenzie Brooke Becerra
San Antonio, TX
Bachelor of Science
Major: Physical Education
Minor: Athletic Coaching
Kervens Benjamin
Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Psychology, Philosophy and Economics
Nicholas Reed Bennett
Little Elm, TX
Bachelor of Science
Major: Accounting
Minors: Health Science and American Studies
Summa Cum Laude
Daniel Liam Benoit
Chicago, IL
Bachelor of Science
Major:Business Administration
Minors: American Studies and Health Science
Halle Paige Bollman
Greenwood, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Psychology
Minors: Criminal Justice and American Studies
Cum Laude
Maria Celeste Bonilla Chirinos
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Bachelor of Arts
Majors: Communication Studies and Psychology
Minor: Theatre
Magna Cum Laude
Kylee Shay Booher
Lamar, AR
Bachelor of Science
Majors: Biology and Business Administration
Minors: History and Chemistry
Magna Cum Laude
University of the Ozarks 2024 Graduates
Ciara Nicole Boswell
Paris, AR
Bachelor of Science
Majors: Psychology and Philosophy
Minor: Marketing Magna Cum Laude
Chloe Sasha Boyer
Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
Bachelor of Science
Major: Sociology
Minors: Philosophy and Psychology
Aryonnah Madelayne Briggs Bryant, AR
Bachelor of Science
Majors: Psychology and Business Administration
Minor: Philosophy
Cum Laude
Cason Wayne Brigham*
Texarkana, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Management
Minor: Health Science
Olivia Kathryn Brown
Little Rock, AR
Bachelor of Science
Majors: Environmental Studies and Political Science
Magna Cum Laude
Madison Rose Butler
Lamar, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Elementary Education Cum Laude
William Brice Cagle
Sherwood, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Health Science
Minors: Athletic Coaching and Entrepreneurship
Andrea Yael Calderon Valdes
Monagrillo, Panama
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Psychology, Philosophy and Strategic Communication
Ethan Ryman Cash*
Maumelle, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Accounting
Minor: Health Science
Daniah Meritzel Castañeda
Aguilar
Clarksville, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Health Science
Minors: Spanish and Management Summa Cum Laude
University of the Ozarks 2024 Graduates
Joseph Francisco Chrisman
Arce
Waldron, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Biology
Minors: Environmental Studies, Chemistry and Spanish
Magna Cum Laude
Cole Hunter Clark
Clarksville, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Health Science
Minor: Athletic Coaching
Magna Cum Laude
Kallie Deann Conner*
Tulsa, OK
Bachelor of General Studies
Minors: Theatre, Psychology and Marketing
Jacob Kenneth Dado
Lockport, IL
Bachelor of Science
Major: Psychology
Minors: American Studies and Military Science
Joshua Dale Davidson
Mulberry, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Management
Minors: Psychology and American Studies
Isaiah Sullivan Dial
Kansas City, MO
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: History and Psychology
Cum Laude
McKeehan Ross Dilley*
Van Buren, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Psychology
Minors: Education and Theatre
Madisyn Elizabeth Doddridge
Malvern, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Health Science
Minors: Religion and Education
Magna Cum Laude
Fabian Jesus Duenas
Miami, FL
Bachelor of Science
Major: Management
Minor: Music
Jacob Raymond Dukes
Frisco, TX
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Psychology, Philosophy and Accounting
Michael Blake Dunn
Morrilton, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Psychology
Minor: Sociology
Cum Laude
University of the Ozarks 2024 Graduates
Laetitia Emilien
Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Environmental Studies and American Studies
Magna Cum Laude
Blaise Erin English
Clarksville, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Biology
Minors: Business Administration, English and Chemistry
Summa Cum Laude
Maria Mileidy Espinoza
Espinoza
Santa Cruz, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Bachelor of Arts
Major: Political Science
Minors: Art and Health Science
Bachelor of Science
Major: Psychology
Summa Cum Laude
Diana Jyham Fernandez
Bendeck
Guaimaca, Honduras
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Music, Psychology and Strategic Communication
Magna Cum Laude
Walker Patton Fox*
Bella Vista, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Accounting
Minors: Health Science and American Studies
Summa Cum Laude
Jacob Steven Friemel
Subiaco, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Physical Education
Minor: Athletic Coaching Cum Laude
Allyson Marie Fultz
Rogers, AR
Bachelor of Science
Majors: Biology and Political Science
Minor: American Studies
Magna Cum Laude
Daniela Gamez Molinito
Clarksville, AR
Bachelor of Arts
Major: English
Minors: Education and Psychology
Magna Cum Laude
Cassey April Gomez De León
Clarksville, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Biology
Minors: Business Administration, Spanish and Chemistry
Magna Cum Laude
University of the Ozarks 2024 Graduates
Seth Andrew Goodrich Madera, CA
Bachelor of Science
Major: Health Science
Minor: History
Dax Gove Draper, UT
Bachelor of Arts
Majors: English and Environmental Studies
Minor: Sustainable Agriculture
Summa Cum Laude
Ethan McAlister Hambric Benton, AR Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: American Studies and Psychology
Kyra Bailey Hargrove Perryville, AR
Bachelor of Arts
Major: Communication Studies
Minors: American Studies and Health Science
Magna Cum Laude
Hope Olivia Faye Hensley* Heber Springs, AR
Bachelor of Arts
Major: Communication Studies
Minors: Theatre and Psychology
Dylan Michael Herring Scranton, AR
Bachelor of Science
Majors: Biology and Business Administration
Minors: Accounting and American Studies
Daniel Tyler Hicks Oologah, OK
Bachelor of Science
Majors: Psychology and Religion
Minor: Strategic Communication Magna Cum Laude
Haley Grace Howard Lamar, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Elementary Education
Minor: Psychology
Magna Cum Laude
Parker James Howell Wichita, KS Bachelor of Science
Major: Management
Minor: Psychology
Magna Cum Laude
Ricktak Israel Iban Springdale, AR Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration Minors: Theatre and Health Science
University of the Ozarks 2024 Graduates
Hans Michel Jabouin
Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
Bachelor of Science
Major: Marketing
Minors: Psychology, Spanish and Entrepreneurship
Cum Laude
James Dausman Johnson
Washington, MO
Bachelor of Science
Major: Physical Education
Cum Laude
Gracie Ann Jones
Walker, LA
Bachelor of Science
Major: Health Science
Minors: Athletic Coaching and American Studies
O’desha Elaine Olivia Jones
Freeport, Grand Bahama
Bachelor of Science
Major: Health Science
Minors: Theatre, Chemistry and Athletic Coaching
Cum Laude
Edris M. Joseph Union, NJ
Bachelor of Science
Major: Accounting
Minors: Spanish and Psychology
Alexandra Marie Kasper Poteau, OK
Bachelor of Science
Major: Biology
Minors: American Studies and Political Science
Magna Cum Laude
Lane Garrett Klohn Aztec, NM
Bachelor of Science
Major: Environmental Studies
Minors: Criminal Justice, American Studies and Sustainable Agriculture
Carter Wesley Little Oklahoma City, OK
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Philosophy and Health Science
Victoria Lopez Comanche, TX
Bachelor of Science
Major: Biology
Minors: Business Administration, Chemistry, American Studies and Psychology
Magna Cum Laude
University of the Ozarks 2024 Graduates
Paulina Lukini Magloire
Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
Bachelor of Science
Majors: Psychology and Political Science
Minor: American Studies
Summa Cum Laude
Cesar Erinque Martinez
Houston, TX
Bachelor of Science
Major: Health Science
Minors: Business Administration and History
Nadia Lanae Martinez
Mesquite, TX
Bachelor of Science
Major: Health Science
Minors: Athletic Coaching and History
Solena Angeli Martinez Aleman
León, Nicaragua
Bachelor of Science
Majors: Health Science and Business Administration
Minors: Economics and Political Science
Summa Cum Laude
Eber Israel Martínez Renteral
Veracruz, Mexico
Bachelor of Science
Majors: Mathematics and Music
Minor: Film Studies
Magna Cum Laude
Karlee Gail McCaghren*
Mayflower, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Biology
Minors: Education and Chemistry
Bachelor of Arts
Major: Spanish
Summa Cum Laude
Wyatt Lee McCaghren
Mayflower, AR
Bachelor of Arts
Major: Communication Studies
Minors: Biology and Art
Jerico Demond McClure
West Memphis, AR
Bachelor of Science
Majors: Accounting and Business Administration
Minors: Psychology and Philosophy Cum Laude
Nicholas Shay Moore* Rogers, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Psychology
Minors: Art and Business Administration
University of the Ozarks 2024 Graduates
Marisol Alejandra Moreno
Clarksville, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Elementary Education
Xenia Lucia Munoz Maradiaga Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Bachelor of Science
Majors: Psychology and Communication Studies
Minor: Music
Cum Laude
Natalie Ann Naramore Lufkin, TX
Bachelor of Science
Major: Accounting
Minors: American Studies and Mathematics
Summa Cum Laude
Kathryn Loretta Nash
Torrance, CA
Bachelor of Science
Major: Biology
Minor: Sociology
Summa Cum Laude
Abigail Negrete Gonzalez*
Clarksville, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Psychology
Minors: Art and Sociology
Cinthia Paola Ortega Medina*
Clarksville, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Health Science
Minors: Spanish and Athletic Coaching
Isaac Clark Pelts
Knoxville, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Accounting
Minor: Psychology
Magna Cum Laude
Robert Kawika Pope Fort Smith, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Psychology
Minors: Philosophy and Sociology
Cum Laude
Isaac Jackson Price
Siloam Springs, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Environmental Studies
Minor: Health Science
Magna Cum Laude
Reese Caren Ramirez
Cedar Park, TX
Bachelor of Science
Major: Biology
Minors: Sociology, Philosophy and Chemistry
Summa Cum Laude
University of the Ozarks 2024 Graduates
Almalila Jimlau Ramirez Valdez
Managua, Nicaragua
Bachelor of Science
Major: Psychology
Minors: Education and English
Bachelor of Arts
Major: Communication Studies
Summa Cum Laude
Chenice Anthena Roker
Nassau, The Bahamas
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Economics, Philosophy and Environmental Studies
Summa Cum Laude
Arianna Taylor Rosario
Katy, TX
Bachelor of Science
Major: Biology
Minors: Art, Religion and Business Administration
Jessye Danielle Rowland* Hot Springs, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Health Science
Minors: Athletic Coaching and Criminal Justice
Magna Cum Laude
Rayli Lauren Ruby
Granbury, TX
Bachelor of Science
Major: Biology
Minors: Marketing, Philosophy and Chemistry
Magna Cum Laude
Lakyn Roxanna Louise Sanders
Lamar, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Physical Education
Minor: Athletic Coaching
Summa Cum Laude
Chase William Smith Elkins, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Environmental Studies
Minors: American Studies and Health Science
Magna Cum Laude
Jacob Henry Squires
Springfield, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Sociology
Minor: American Studies
Elijah Nathan St. Armand Freeport, Grand Bahama
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Environmental Studies and Music
Magna Cum Laude
University of the Ozarks 2024 Graduates
Benjamin Charles Stormes IV*
Fort Smith, AR
Bachelor of Science
Majors: Biology and Philosophy
Minors: Strategic Communication and Chemistry
Cum Laude
Stephfan Briceno Tabe
El Dorado, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Health Science
Minor: Entrepreneurship
Fizza Tahir
Katy, TX
Bachelor of Arts
Majors: Philosophy and Business Administration
Minor: Psychology
Summa Cum Laude
Joshlyn Faith Terry
Scranton, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Health Science and History
Jimmy Tostado
Clarksville, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Psychology and Spanish
Summa Cum Laude
Austin Nicholas Turley
Modesto, CA
Bachelor of Science
Major: Health Science
Minors: Entrepreneurship and Athletic Coaching Cum Laude
Amanda Maria Turpin
Cypress, TX
Bachelor of Science
Major: Health Science
Minor: Athletic Coaching
Magna Cum Laude
Marcela Guisselle Valladares
Russellville, AR
Bachelor of Science
Majors: Psychology and Business Administration
Minors: Philosophy and Sociology
Magna Cum Laude
Ariana Grace White
Broken Arrow, OK
Bachelor of Arts
Major: English
Minors: Education and Health Science
University of the Ozarks 2024 Graduates
Amaris Lee Williams McGill
Dallas, TX
Bachelor of Science
Major: Psychology
Minors: History and Criminal Justice
Zachary Robert Winans
Tyler, TX
Bachelor of General Studies
Minors: Entrepreneurship and American Studies
Aislinn Alondra Zapata
Clarksville, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Elementary Education
Minors: Health Science and Psychology
Summa Cum Laude
Maria Fabiola Zarate
Ozark, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Art, Psychology and Marketing Cum Laude
Cameron Joseph Ziarko Galena, IL
Bachelor of Science
Major: Environmental Studies
Minors: Criminal Justice and American Studies
Cum Laude honors those graduates whose cumulative grade point average is between 3.25 and 3.49. Cum Laude honors are signified by gold honors cords.
Magna Cum Laude honors those graduates whose cumulative grade point average is between 3.50 and 3.84. Magna Cum Laude honors are signified by white honors cords.
Summa Cum Laude honors those graduates whose cumulative grade point average is 3.85 or higher. Summa Cum Laude honors are signified by purple honors cords and medallions.
Membership in the academic honor societies is signified by honors cords of blue and green for Alpha Chi; red and green for Tri-Beta; purple and green for Kappa Delta Pi; and red, black and white for Pi Sigma Alpha.
* Denotes students who are summer graduates
Indicates a University of the Ozarks Legacy Graduate. These students carry on the tradition of family members who are U of O alumni.
Commencement Keynote Speaker
Mr. Peter Van Dyke, J.D. ’87
Mr. Peter Van Dyke, J.D., of Munster, Indiana, is a 1987 graduate of University of the Ozarks and a member of the University’s Board of Trustees. Mr. Van Dyke serves as vice president of Complex Casualty Claims at CNA Insurance, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
CNA was founded in 1897 and is the seventh largest commercial insurer in the United States. Mr. Van Dyke leads several claim teams devoted to the handling of high exposure claims throughout the U.S. and provides strategic guidance and financial authority to CNA’s claim operations worldwide. Mr. Van Dyke earned his juris doctorate from the University of Notre Dame in 1990, and is an active member of the Florida, Indiana and Illinois bars.
Mr. Van Dyke has served as a lecturer on high exposure litigation management at various insurance industry conferences including ALFA, TIDA, USLAW and The Network of Trial Law Firms. While attending the U of O, Mr. Van Dyke served as Student Government President for the 198687 academic year and was a member of the 1983-84 men’s basketball team that was inducted into the U of O Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
Mr. Van Dyke received the Alumni Achievement Award from the University in 2017 and is currently serving his third term on the Board of Trustees. He is married to his wife of 27 years, Heleine, and they have four adult children residing in Florida and California.
Senior Speaker
Mr. Carter Little ’24
Mr. Carter Little of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was nominated by the University’s faculty and staff to provide the students’ welcome address on behalf of the Class of 2024. Mr. Little is a business administration major with minors in health science and philosophy.
A member of the men’s basketball team at Ozarks, he was also a Student Ambassador, a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, an Orientation Leader and a member of the Homecoming Committee Board. He served as president of the Student Ambassadors for the 2023-24 academic year and was a member of the Ozarks basketball team that captured the American Southwest Conference championship in 2021. Mr. Little also served an internship in the University’s Marketing and Communications Office. The first-generation college graduate also competed in the 2024 National Collegiate Sports Analytics Championship, where he helped the Ozarks team finish in fifth place.
Following graduation, Mr. Little plans to pursue a master’s degree in sports and entertainment management at the University of South Carolina on his way to a career in coaching and athletic administration. His parents are Paul and Tiffany Little.
Hurie Award Recipient
Ms. Solena Angeli Martinez Aleman ’24
Ms. Solena Angeli Martinez Aleman, a health science and business administration major from Leon, Nicaragua, is the recipient of the 2024 Hurie Award, given to the outstanding member of the senior class. Voted on by the faculty, the award is named for Dr. Wiley Lin Hurie, who served as president of this institution from 1923-1949. The Hurie Award is the highest honor an Ozarks student can receive. The faculty members choose a graduating senior who has been an exemplary scholar, a campus leader, and a person of outstanding character.
Ms. Aleman is graduating with Summa Cum Laude honors with minors in economics and political science. The Walton International Scholar was named the Outstanding Student in Health Science in 2024 and has been named to the President’s and Dean’s honor lists in all eight of her semesters at Ozarks. Her academic achievements include presenting research at the 2023 American College of Sports Medicine National Conference in Denver, Col., and recently finishing in the top 20 of the National Collegiate Sports Analytics Championship in Dallas, Texas. Ms. Aleman was a member of the women’s cross country and track teams and was as a four-time academic all-conference selection. She was named an American Southwest Conference Distinguished Scholar-Athlete in 2022-2023.
Ms. Aleman has volunteered with the Johnson County Youth Coalition and has been active as a tutor and intramural athletics during her time at Ozarks. Following graduation, she plans to serve an internship in physical therapy before pursuing graduate degrees in exercise physiology and kinesiology. She is the daughter of Angela Maria Martinez Aleman.
Regalia and Traditions
The Origin of Academic Attire
The recognition of academic accomplishment through distinctive ceremonial dress can be traced to the Middle Ages, when both faculty and students in European universities were considered a part of the clergy. As such, they were required to adopt ecclesiastical dress, robe, and caputum, patterned after the Benedictine Order, as their regular apparel.
Speculation exists, however, that the cap, gown, and hood were worn primarily for warmth in the unheated stone buildings of most medieval universities. What may have been the practicality of nearly eight centuries ago has become tradition and ritual today. The material of the gown, as well as the lining and the shape of the hood, now have academic significance, and the regalia contribute to the character and dignity of today’s ceremonies.
While the symbolic system of the regalia originated at Oxford, universities in Paris, Bologna, and Cambridge played significant roles in the system’s development. European institutions emphasized the office or function rather than the qualifications or credentials of the wearer. Caps and gowns were in limited use in this country after colonial times. A widespread student movement a century later resulted in the formal use of the academic costume at commencement ceremonies. The return to traditional dress for graduations was easily accepted by faculty members, who soon extended the custom to other formal academic functions. In 1895, a group of leading educators gathered at Columbia University to ensure some degree of uniformity in the United States by establishing the Intercollegiate Code of Academic Attire. .
The Caps
Material for the cap varies from serge and broadcloth to rayon and silk. The origin of the familiar Oxford or mortarboard cap is speculative. One explanation suggests that its shape was inspired by the quadrangular Oxford campus or by the actual master workman’s mortarboard. A more practical theory, perhaps, is that the cap was designed flat and about the size of a scholar’s book so that it might be carried easily.
The Tassel
Standard protocol in the U.S. dictates that the student’s tassel be worn on the right side of the mortarboard throughout the graduation ceremony, then at the end, it is moved to the left side. The moving of the tassel is called the “turning of the tassel.” It symbolizes the student’s transition from candidate to graduate. Administration, faculty, and staff at commencement wear their tassels on the left. Academic traditions are steeped in history, and some traditions are without a specific reference to cite their origin. “Tradition” appears to be the only reason for moving the tassel right to left.
The Gowns
It is customary that participants in academic ceremonies wear the regalia to which they are entitled by the virtue of the highest degree that they hold.
Participants holding a bachelor’s degree, for example, wear a gown distinguished by a semi-stiff yoke, long pleated front, intricate shirring across the shoulders and back, and long pointed sleeves open at the wrists. The bachelor’s degree gown is designed to be worn closed.
The gown for master’s degree holders is made of silk or wool with the same yoke effect as the bachelor’s degree robe. This robe may be worn either open or closed in the front. The doctor’s gown, usually made of silk and velvet, has full, bell-shaped sleeves open at the wrists. Worn either open or closed, this gown is distinguished by long velvet panels down the front of the gown and three horizontal velvet sleeve bars, which may be either black or the color distinctive of the academic discipline in which the individual holds the doctoral degree.
The gown is traditionally black. Some institutions, however, have adopted robes in their school colors.
The Hoods
The hood, the most dramatic feature of regalia, enlivens the academic ceremony. The ceremonial black shell varies in size. Its colored border suspends from the shoulders and is worn down the back. The hood’s significance is symbolized by its length, and by the color and thickness of its velvet lining and trim. A hood is lined distinctively with the colors of the institution conferring the degree. The outer trim, or border, designates the academic discipline in which the degree was granted.
Scottish Bagpipes
Founded in 1834 by Cumberland Presbyterian missionaries, University of the Ozarks is proud of its heritage and the key role that Scottish Presbyterianism has played in shaping the Presbyterian Church (USA). One of the long-standing traditions at Ozarks occurs at the beginning and end of Commencement when graduates are led into and out of the ceremony by a traditional Scottish piper.
THE VARIOUS FIELDS OF LEARNING ARE INDICATED BY COLORS.
Arts, Letters, Humanities white
Business drab
Commerce, Accountancy ............................. drab
Communication crimson
Economics copper
Education light blue
Fine Arts brown
Law .................................................................. purple
Library Science lemon
Mathematics golden yellow
Medicine green
Music pink
Nursing apricot
Philosophy dark blue
Physical Education sage green
Political Science dark blue
Psychology gold
Science golden yellow
Social Science citron
Theology scarlet
Alma Mater
Where the eagle builds her aerie
On the hilltop high
Nobly stands our Alma Mater
Pointing to the sky.
Chorus
Ozarks, Ozarks, home we love!
Loud thy praises be. We, thy faithful sons and daughters Pledge our loyalty.
Hail to thee, our Alma Mater Torch of truth and light, Guardian of the nation’s honor, Emblem of her might.
(Chorus)
When thy gold and purple banner Calls o’er land and sea, On the wings of love’s devotion We’ll come back to thee.
(Chorus)
Trustees
University of the Ozarks Board of Trustees
Chris Allen Clarksville, Arkansas
Tasha Blackburn Fort Smith, Arkansas
Chris Broadway Colleyville, Texas
A.O. Curran .................................................................................... Clarksville, Arkansas
Callie Daniels ’89 Wright City, Missouri
Michael Dickerson Clarksville, Arkansas
Allyn Donaubauer, Chair-Elect Fort Smith, Arkansas
Buck Hill Idabel, Oklahoma
Ray Hobbs ’77 ................................................................................ Clarksville, Arkansas
Shannon Huggins ‘91 Arlington, Texas
Kendra Jones ’01 Springdale, Arkansas
Naneida Lazarte-Alcala Edmond, Oklahoma
Beth McGaw Dallas, Texas
Bill McIntyre ................................................................................................. Dallas, Texas
Ann Patterson ’75 Little Rock, Arkansas
Susan Pinson, Chair Edmond, Oklahoma
David Porter Little Rock, Arkansas
Mike Powell, Secretary Dallas, Texas
Angela Spencer ’98 ..................................................................... Stillwater, Oklahoma
Eric Steinmiller ’02 Chicago, Illinois
Sue Tull Little Rock, Arkansas
Denton Tumbleson ’74 Clarksville, Arkansas
Peter Van Dyke '87 Munster, Indiana
Shane Werling '93 ....................................................................... Van Buren, Arkansas
Lifetime Trustees
Lee Bodenhamer El Dorado, Arkansas
Robert W. Bohl ’58 Naples, Florida
Helen McElree ’47 ...................................................................... Fayetteville, Arkansas
William Rail ’52 Rogers, Arkansas
Mary Anne Shula Miami Beach, Florida
Ex Officio Members: Richard L. Dunsworth (President); Dr. Karen Frank (Faculty Senate Representative); George Pittenger ’91 (Alumni Representative); and O’desha Jones ’24 (Student Representative)