Portales, NM – May 4, 2023 – Eastern New Mexico University welcomes graduates and their families to Greyhound Arena on the Eastern New Mexico University campus on Saturday, May 13 at 10 a.m. to celebrate their academic achievements as part of the one hundred forty-fourth commencement ceremony. Dr. Gay Su Pinnell, ENMU alumna and Professor Emerita in the School of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University, will give the commencement address.
This year, 657 students are expected to graduate from ENMU. Of these, 420 will receive bachelor's degrees; 137 will earn master's degrees and 100 will gain associate degrees. These students come from throughout New Mexico, 36 states, and 7 nations worldwide.
"Commencement is an occasion I look forward to every year," said James Johnston, ENMU President. "It represents the culmination of ENMU's work with our students. It is also a time to celebrate with our graduates the earning of a college degree and something truly life-changing."
Additional ceremony highlights include the Faculty Excellence Awards, presented to ENMU faculty for excelling in Advising, Service, and Teaching. The Honor Guard from Cannon Air Force Base will present the colors. The National Anthem and Alma Mater will be sung by graduating ENMU students.
Dr. Gay Su Pinnell, the commencement speaker, has been nationally recognized for her educational work and research. This includes classroom teaching, field-based research, and creating comprehensive literacy systems.
Pinnel has been honored with several awards for her work in literacy education. Some of these awards include the following: The International Literacy Association's Diane Lapp & James Flood Professional Collaborator Award, The Ohio State University Alumni Association's Medalist Award, The International Reading Association's Albert J. Harris Award for research in reading difficulties, The Ohio Governor's Award, The Charles A. Dana Foundation Award, and The Eastern New Mexico University Educators Hall of Honor. She also received an honorary doctorate from Lesley University in 2018.
Pinnell began funding education grants in 2017. Pinnel donated an event facility, and recently endowed a new chair for the ENMU College of Education.
The University Board of Regents voted on October 1, 2022, to thank her generous philanthropic support of ENMU by renaming the Education Building in her honor. The building dedication ceremony will be on August 24, 2023.
The ENMU graduation will be live-streamed off the main ENMU website at enmu.edu. For more information on the ENMU commencement ceremonies, please visit enmu.edu/Commencement.
