Northwest Missouri State University President and TROY alumnus Dr. Lance Tatum will provide the keynote address at Spring Commencement, across two days of festivities.
Nearly 1,000 students are set to graduate in two commencement exercises on the Troy Campus.
Commencement exercises for the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences and the College of Science and Engineering are set for 10 a.m. Thursday, May 14 in Trojan Arena. Exercises for the College of Arts and Humanities, the Sorrell College of Business and the College of Health Sciences are set for 10 a.m. Friday, May 15 in the arena.
The event requires tickets to attend and those are provided through the graduates.
A breakfast reception at the Chancellor’s Residence will precede both exercises from 7:30 a.m. until 9 a.m.
Tatum began his tenure as Northwest’s 11th president on June 1, 2023.
He previously had served as senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and chief academic officer at Troy University, since January 2019 while holding the rank of professor in its Sorrell College of Business—School of Hospitality, Sport and Tourism Management.
Tatum joined Troy University as a faculty member in 1998 and went on to serve as vice chancellor for its campus in Montgomery; vice chancellor for its Global Campus; dean of the College of Education; and chairperson of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion as well as a Faculty Athletics Representative. Throughout his career, he held faculty positions in sport and fitness management at Troy University, and he began his academic career as an assistant professor of physical education at Gordon College in Barnesville, Georgia.
He earned a Ph.D. in sport management at Florida State University. He has a Master of Science in Education degree in foundations of education and a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education, both from Troy University.
Tatum and his wife, Jill, have two children, Thad and Zoe, who attend Auburn University.
