Kirk Gibson, a former Detroit Tigers player, will be the undergraduate commencement speaker at the May 5 convocation, MSU announced Thursday.
Gibson was a Big Ten champion and two-time World Series winner, according to the press release. He scored the winning home run for the Tigers in the 1984 World Series. He will receive an honorary doctorate of humanities.
The undergraduate convocation will be at 1 p.m. at the Breslin Center. The advanced degree ceremony will be at 3:30 p.m.
President of the Ford Foundation Darren Walker will speak at the advanced degree ceremony. He will also receive an honorary doctorate of humanities.
Walker was named in TIME magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World" list in 2016. He leads the country's second largest philanthropy. In the past, he worked on community development projects in Harlem, such as the Abyssinian Development Corp.
At the convocation, atmospheric scientist Susan Avery and founder of Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine Joon-shik Shin will both receive honorary doctorates of science.
At the advanced degree ceremony, Dermot Desmond, chairperson of International Investment and Underwriting, will receive an honorary doctorate of humanities.
“From athletics to philanthropy to medicine and science, our commencement speakers and honorary degree recipients are visionary leaders who will inspire our graduates as they move on to the next stage of their lives,” President Lou Anna K. Simon said in a statement. “Spartans strive to affect positive change at home and around the world, and it gives us great pride to host this year’s honorees.”
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
