Nearly 600 students are candidates for graduation at Middle Georgia State University's 2018 spring commencement ceremonies, scheduled for Tuesday, May 8.
 
Dr. Joyce A. Jones, the University System of Georgia's vice chancellor for Student Affairs, is the commencement speaker at all three ceremonies. She oversees a wide range of student services provided by the 26 public colleges and universities in the USG. Prior to her position as vice chancellor, Jones was vice president for Student Services and dean of students at what is now Augusta University. Jones holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
 
Middle Georgia State (MGA) will hold three ceremonies on Tuesday, May 8, all in the Recreation and Wellness Center on the Macon Campus. The 9 a.m. ceremony is for graduates of the School of Health Sciences and the School of Information Technology. The 1 p.m. ceremony is for graduates of the School of Business and the School of Education & Behavioral Sciences. The 4 p.m. ceremony is for graduates of the Georgia Academy of Arts, Mathematics, Engineering & Sciences, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Aviation.
 
Of the 568 students who had applied for graduation as of April 24, 16 will receive their master's degrees and 371 will receive bachelor's degrees. The rest will receive associate's degrees or certificates.
 
Also scheduled to speak at all three ceremonies are Crystal Jones, who will represent the Middle Georgia State University Alumni Association’s Board of Directors. Jones, who graduated from what is now Middle Georgia State in 2003, is a lawyer in her fourth year as senior assistant county attorney with the Macon-Bibb County Attorney’s Office.
 
Trenten Williams of Bonaire, who is graduating with a bachelor's degree in biology, will speak at the three ceremonies as the President's Scholar for the Class of 2018.
Each year, a graduating senior is chosen by MGA's Honors, Awards and Graduation Committee, with the approval of the University president, to be the President's Scholar. The chosen student must have an outstanding academic record, involvement in campus and/or community service activities, and demonstrate characteristics indicating the promise of a successful future.
 
A first-generation college student, the 22-year-old Williams graduates summa cum laude from Middle Georgia State. With a 3.9 GPA, he is a President’s List Scholar and the recipient of the Natural Sciences department’s award for Outstanding Academic Excellence in Biology.
 
While a student, Williams participated in undergraduate research in plant genetics, presented at the University’s Undergraduate Research Symposium in 2017 and attended the Georgia Academy of Science Conference at Young Harris College in north Georgia. Williams plans to enroll this fall at Augusta University's dental school.