Three UNG faculty to deliver commencement speeches

Dr. Katherine Adams, Dr. Timothy May, and Dr. Bryson Payne have heard more than 100 commencement speakers combined during their time in higher education. In December 2021, the trio of University of North Georgia (UNG) faculty members will become commencement speakers.

May, associate dean of the College of Arts and Letters, will be the first commencement speaker at the 6 p.m. Dec. 17 ceremony in the Convocation Center on UNG's Dahlonega Campus. One day later, Payne, professor of computer science in the Mike Cottrell College of Business, will speak at the 11 a.m. ceremony. Adams, assistant professor of social foundations and leadership education in the College of Education, will follow at the 3 p.m. ceremony.

Adams received the 2021 Distinguished Professor Award for the Gainesville, Cumming and Oconee campuses from the UNG Alumni Association, while Payne received the 2021 Distinguished Professor Award for the Dahlonega and Blue Ridge campuses.

May received the 2021 Distinguished Teaching Award from UNG's Center for Teaching, Learning, and Leadership; the 2014 Distinguished Professor Award from the Alumni Association; and the 2008 Department of Athletics Outstanding Professor Award.

All three were surprised, honored and excited about the task.

Adams is the program coordinator for UNG's Doctor of Education in higher education leadership and practice. Like many of her students, she worked full time while pursuing all of her degrees, and she incorporates adult learning strategies, such as practical application and empathy into her course design and program development. She is an associate editor for the Journal of Community Engagement & Scholarship.

"Serving as a commencement ceremony speaker is actually on my bucket list," Adams, who was a first-generation college student, said. "From the moment I saw my first commencement ceremony, I have thought about what I would say if I was the speaker. I asked myself, 'What would I say to motivate people? How would I inspire them? What suggestions or advice would I give?'"

Payne, the coordinator of student cybersecurity programs, coached UNG to first-place finishes in the 2019 and 2020 NSA Codebreaker Challenge competitions. He has earned the Department of the Army Commander's Award for Public Service medal from U.S. Army Cadet Command and the Order of Thor medal from the Military Cyber Professionals Association. Payne has authored three books on coding and cybersecurity. Also a first-generation college student, Payne knows what he will say.

 "I'm going to tell them the same thing I tell the CyberHawks," which is the student cybersecurity team, he said. "I'm going to tell them to 'sign up, show up, and do your best.' And I'm going to keep it short and impactful."

Adams, May and Payne admit the ceremony will be extra special since they know some of the graduates.

"I am so proud of all of the students," Adams said. "And I am going to say that to them. Because there is no kinder statement than to say, 'We are proud of you.'"

May is a specialist on the history of the Mongol Empire and the author and editor of 12 books, more than 47 peer-reviewed articles and chapters, and numerous other publications. He is currently the editor of "Mongolian Studies: The Journal of the Mongolia Society."

And when graduates depart the ceremony, May hopes they remember the purpose of their education.

"As Albert Einstein said, 'Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think,'" he said.

More than 600 UNG students are scheduled to march in the commencement ceremonies set for Dec. 17-18. All three will resemble a traditional ceremony as family and friends watch in the 3,600-seat arena. This time, graduates will be ushered to a specific seat on the event floor.

"Previously, we had the luxury of keeping graduates in the hallways and marching them into the Convocation Center for the ceremony," Anna Brown, executive director of University Events, said. "But we made an adjustment to ensure graduates' health and safety as we continue to apply COVID-19 precautions."

To accommodate the process, graduates are encouraged to arrive one hour before their ceremony dressed in their gown and cap with its tassel. Ceremonies are grouped by academic colleges and institutes.

• 6 p.m. Dec. 17: College of Arts and Letters
• 11 a.m. Dec. 18: Mike Cottrell College of Business
• 3 p.m. Dec. 18: College of Health Sciences and Professions, College of Education, College of Science and Mathematics, Lewis F. Rogers Institute for Environmental and Spatial Analysis, and University College

Individual commissioning ceremonies for members of the Corps of Cadets entering the U.S. Army will be Dec. 17. The event will recognize their service and leadership and formally mark their entrance into the military as second lieutenants. These graduates will swear an oath during the commencement ceremony.

To attend, all guests 2 years old and older must have a ticket. Each graduate is issued up to five tickets, which can be printed or shown electronically.

For students who do not use their allotted tickets, they can donate them by emailing University Events at universityevents@ung.edu. After the ticket-claiming period ends, any unclaimed or unused tickets will be electronically distributed to graduates who requested additional tickets. More ticket information is available on the commencement website.

For those unable to attend the in-person event, the ceremonies will be streamed live on UNG's Facebook page.