Kent State University conferred 4,512 degrees at commencement ceremonies held May 8 and 9.

At the Kent campus alone, 3,883 degrees were conferred, including 2, 864 bachelor’s degrees, 874 master’s degrees, and 142 doctoral degrees at the Kent campus. Three educational specialist degrees were also conferred.

An additional 629 students received diplomas from the eight regional campuses, including those that received associate’s degrees.

The ceremony for master’s and doctoral degrees took place May 8 at a 6 p.m ceremony. Daniel Mahoney, the dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Services, was the chosen speaker. Mahoney, who has held various positions at Kent State, including associate dean, associate provost and associate professor of sports management. Mahoney will be leaving Kent State to become the president of Winthrop University in South Carolina, effective July 1, 2015.

May 9, commencement ceremonies took place at 9 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

John Begala, an adjunct professor and executive-in-residence for the Division of Business Administration at Baldwin Wallace University, was the speaker selected to talk at the 9 a.m. ceremony. Begala served as a councilman-at-large for the City of Kent and was elected a state representative in 1977. Bachelor’s degrees from the College of Education, Health and Human Services, the College of Nursing and College of Public Health were conferred at the 9 a.m. ceremony.

Jane Timken, former chair of the Kent State Board of Trustees, was the speaker selected for the 1:30 p.m. ceremony. Timken, who served as board chair during Lester Lefton’s presidency, served as a magistrate judge and attorney for the Stark County Court of Common Pleas after earning a degree from Harvard College and Washington College of Law at American University. Bachelor’s degrees from the College of Arts and Science and the College of the Arts were conferred at the 1:30 p.m. ceremony.

Sharlene Ramos Chesnes, the CEO of InterChez located in Stow, Ohio, was the chosen speaker for the 5:30 p.m. ceremony. Chesnes, an alumna of Kent State, serves on the executive boards for various partnership in the Northeast Ohio region, as well as the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Advisory Committee in Washington, D.C. Bachelor’s degrees from the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology, the College of Business Administration, the College of Architecture and Environmental Design, the School of Digital Sciences, and the College of Communication and Information were conferred at the 5:30 p.m. ceremony.

A fourth commencement ceremony is scheduled for May 15 at 1 p.m. for the College of Podiatric Medicine doctoral degrees. The selected speaker will be Jordan Grossman, a member of the faculty at the HealthSpan/CCF Podiatric Foot and Ankle surgical residency program Akron General Medical Center, as well as a diplomat of and board certified from the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery.

For more information about the university procedures related to commencement ceremonies, visit the commencement webpage for Kent State University.

Contact Emily Mills at [email protected]. Matt Merchant contributed reporting.