Evangel University, Assemblies of God seminary will have joint graduation Thursday
A joint commencement ceremony for Evangel University and the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary will be the first in the newly renamed Great Southern Bank Arena, on the campus of Missouri State University.
The event will start at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
This will be the 64th annual commencement for Evangel and the 49th for the seminary. The two schools were consolidated in 2013 and combined their graduation ceremonies in 2018.
The commencement speaker is Evangel president Mike Rakes, a graduate of Central Bible College and the seminary.
Rakes was elected president in 2021 replacing the late George O. Wood, who served as interim following the retirement of Carol Taylor.
There will be 536 graduates earning 31 doctoral, 95 master’s, 360 bachelor’s and 50 associate’s degrees. Most of the associate’s degrees are from Evangel’s James River College campus.
The top five bachelor-level majors at Evangel are business management, elementary education, biology, psychology and health care.
The graduation ceremony will be live-streamed at evangel.edu/commencement.
In Rakes' first year as president, the university spent more than $2 million to enhance the campus including LED screens for the chapel, new outdoor basketball courts and a refresh of the student union.
The university has raised more than $9 million this academy year, setting a new record, according to a news release.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Evangel University, AG seminary will have joint graduation Thursday
