Michigan State University will host commencement ceremonies for more than 900 graduates of the College of Engineering this weekend. Spring 2022 commencement will return to the pre-COVID pandemic format and will not require masks or have capacity restrictions — thanks, in large part, to the tens of thousands of Spartans on campus who have been vaccinated and boosted.
Advanced degrees
Commencement ceremonies for more than 30 Engineering master’s degree graduates are Friday, May 6, at 9 a.m. in the Breslin Center. Almost 60 Engineering doctoral graduates will be honored Friday, May 6, at 3:30 p.m. in the Breslin Center. (See safety note below – no bags or purses, no food, beverages or bottled water allowed. Metal detectors will screen all attendees, so please plan accordingly.)
Undergraduates
The College of Engineering will host graduation services for 825 Engineering undergraduates at 12:30 p.m., Sunday, May 8, in the Breslin Center. The ceremony will be approximately two hours. There are no admission tickets required. (See safety note below – no bags or purses, no food, beverages or bottled water allowed. Metal detectors will screen all attendees, so please plan accordingly.)
Leo Kempel, dean of the College of Engineering, will offer both the welcome and closing remarks at undergraduate graduation.
“The College of Engineering is extremely pleased with these exceptional graduates who demonstrate the true meaning of Spartans Will. They were students at Michigan State University during some of the most challenging times for the institution and society. They demonstrated grit and persistence in ways that are truly inspirational — an indication of how they will manage the ebbs and flows of the coming decades as professionals. It is my hope that they stay in touch and share with us their meaningful contributions to a better society.”
Amanda Idema, assistant dean of Undergraduate Studies, serves as commencement coordinator for the College of Engineering.
There will be no printed commencement programs at graduation ceremonies. See a .pdf of the 2022 Spring Commencement Program here.
All MSU ceremonies are streamed live. Ceremony links are posted at the time of the graduation. Visit: MSU Commencement Website
Undergraduate commencement speaker
Rohan Singh, who is graduating with a degree in computer engineering, will offer comments to undergraduates on “letting go of old dreams to make room for new opportunities.” After graduation, Singh will become a software development engineer at Amazon. Read more on Singh here.
Undergraduate keynote address
Michael W. Lamach Sr. will offer the undergraduate keynote address as the 2022 Claud R. Erickson Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient. Lamach will receive the honor at the College of Engineering Alumni Awards banquet on Saturday, May 7. The award is the highest honor presented to an alumnus by the college. It recognizes professional accomplishment, volunteer service, and distinguished service to the college and the engineering profession.
Lamach is the retired Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Trane Technologies Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ingersoll Rand. He served as Executive Chair and CEO at Trane Technologies, a global climate innovator, for 12 years.
He was named one of Harvard Business Review’s top performing CEOs and listed by Forbes among America’s 100 Most Innovative Leaders. He led the creation of the company’s purpose-driven sustainability strategy, its proprietary business operating system, and its widely recognized culture of engagement and inclusion. Lamach is an active leader in Charlotte, N.C., where he co-chairs the Charlotte Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative.
He received a bachelor’s degree in applied engineering sciences in 1985.
Other Spartan Engineering graduates include:
Megat Usamah Megat Johari will receive a Ph.D. in civil engineering. He has been working as a graduate research assistant in Civil and Environmental Engineering. His long-term goals are to return to Malaysia to work in academia.
Ryan Koschay will receive a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. In 2020, when the need was dire for more PPE protective gear during the pandemic, Koschay jumped in and 3D printed 1,200 articles of PPE and donated them to local healthcare workers. He is a trumpet section leader and squad leader in the Spartan Marching Band and Spartan Brass. He’ll join MSU’s world-class Facility for Rare Isotopes Beams (FRIB) in mid-May as a superconducting mechanical design engineer.
Yuchen Wang, will receive a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He has been a leader and serves as team captain of a group of Spartan Engineers who devised an innovative idea for NASA -- electric drones that "catch a ride" on public buses. After graduating, he’s headed to Bosch to be a hydrogen vehicle engineer.
About MSU Commencements
MSU is hosting commencement ceremonies for more than 9,600 Spartans from Thursday, May 5, through Saturday, May 14. See the entire Spring 2022 Commencement schedule here.
MSU alumna and Carhartt Inc. President and Chief Operating Officer Linda Hubbard will help kick off the graduation season at 9 a.m., May 6, addressing the master’s and educational specialist degree recipients. She will receive an honorary doctoral degree in business.
At 1 p.m., May 6, all-time leading MSU scorer, first-round NBA draft pick and Olympic gold medalist Steve Smith will address undergraduate degree recipients during their convocation and receive an honorary doctoral degree in education.
Concluding university commencement ceremonies at 3 p.m., May 6, Ronald Goldsberry, a U.S. Army captain and former Ford Motor Co. executive, will address doctoral recipients and receive an honorary doctoral degree in science.
Read more on the MSU speakers here.
All ceremonies will be held at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center, 534 Birch Road or the Wharton Center Great Hall, 750 E. Shaw Lane. The events will be live-streamed and can be watched via MSU’s commencement website. Twitter users are invited to follow them using #SpartansWill.
For the safety of attendees, no bags or purses will be allowed in Breslin Center for commencement ceremonies. Cameras and camcorders are permitted, but cases are prohibited. No food or beverages — including bottled water — will be allowed, and this applies to graduates, guests and faculty. Breslin Center will offer a limited concessions menu during the ceremonies. Additional prohibited items include noisemakers, selfie sticks, pets, signs, and weapons of any form. Breslin Center is a smoke-free facility.
Metal detectors will screen all attendees.
Here’s general information on MSU 2022 Commencements. Visitor information is available here.
Congratulations graduates. Come home often.
Twitter users: #SpartanGrad22