Published: May 09, 2008 12:25 pm         

Former Marine, new Army cadet is student speaker

MOREHEAD, Ky.---Robert McWhorter did not take a normal route to a college degree. For the Georgetown native, the quest began after serving five years of active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps.

And it will end on the podium addressing his fellow classmates.

McWhorter will be the student speaker for Morehead State University’s Spring Commencement on Saturday, May 10.

During the ceremony, that begins at 10:30 a.m. in the Academic-Athletic Center, President Wayne D. Andrews will confer degrees on more than 1,000 graduate and undergraduate students.

McWhorter is a candidate for a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the College of Business. He will pursue a career in accounting and plans on taking the CPA exam shortly after graduation.

He has been recognized for his distinguished achievements throughout his college experience by attaining a 3.9 grade point average (summa cum laude). He is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, Scabbard and Blade, National Scholar’s and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies.

McWhorter received a ranking of 22 out of 4,099 cadets throughout the nation, and is ranked number one throughout Kentucky and Ohio.

He was ranked top in his platoon at LDAC, and received the Recondo and Warrior Ethos awards. A recipient of the George C. Marshall award for leadership, he has branched into the Corps of Engineers and will serve six years in the Kentucky National Guard.

McWhorter is married to the former Heather Handshoe of Hueysville, a May 2007 graduate in business administration from MSU. He is the son of Ray and Cindy McWhorter of Georgetown.

For the commencement exercises, the grand marshal and mace bearer will be Dr. Phillip Prater, associate professor of veterinary technology, who received the 2008 Distinguished Teacher Award.

Faculty marshals will be Dr. Frances L. Helphinstine, professor of English, and Dr. Dora Ahmadi, chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences.

Student marshals will be Joel Charles of Ashland and Bradley Galbreath of Morehead, Graduate Programs; Megan Sammons of Louisa and Savannah Slone of Pikeville, College of Science and Technology; Erica Belmont of Ft. Thomas and Nathan Mills of Pikeville, College of Business; Amber Hillerman of Pikeville and Scott Murphy of Morehead, College of Education; and Kimberly Gibson of Prestonsburg and Ryan Miller of New Carlisle, Ohio, Caudill College of Humanities.

Following the ceremony, the newest alumni will be inducted into the MSU Alumni Association Inc. by its president, Gary Adkins of Morehead.

Refreshments for graduates and their families, hosted by each college’s dean and faculty, will be served immediately after the ceremony. The reception is co-sponsored by the Alumni Association.

Earlier in the day, the ROTC students will be commissioned as second lieutenants in a ceremony that began at 8:30 a.m. at the Little Bell Tower lawn area.

MSU’s Nursing Program will host a pinning reception Friday, May 9, from 2-4 p.m. in Reed Hall for those students who have completed degree requirements.

Additional information on Spring Commencement exercises is available by calling 783-2008.