Seminole State College will hold its 93rd Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 8 at 10 a.m. in the Raymond Harber Field House on campus. The event will recognize students completing coursework requirements for their degree programs.
Chair of the Seminole State College Board of Regents Marci Donaho will serve as this year’s keynote speaker. Donaho is the former Executive Director of the Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum, a position she held for over 25 years prior to her retirement in 2022. She also spent 28 years as elementary classroom teacher in public schools in Arizona and Oklahoma.
She recently completed 10 years of service as a member of the Seminole Public Schools Board of Education.
An active civic leader in community and state organizations, she has served as President of the Seminole Chamber of Commerce and the Seminole Rotary Club.
She is a graduate of Leadership Seminole and of Class XII of the Leadership Oklahoma Program. She was a three-time finalist for the Journal Record’s “Woman of the Year” recognition and was named Seminole’s “Citizen of the Year” in 2002.
Donaho will be stepping down from the SSC Board of Regents on June 30, 2026 as her current seven-year term expires. She was appointed by three different Governors to serve on the SSC Board – giving her the distinction of being the longest-serving Regent in the history of the institution.
The ceremony will begin with an invocation by Ben Little, who serves as Student Success Specialist with the college’s NASNTI (Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institution) Grant. SSC President Lana Reynolds will deliver a welcome address. Following presentation of the degree candidates by Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Dr. Bill Knowles, President Reynolds will confer the degrees.
Due to venue capacity, overflow seating will be available in the Jeff Johnston Fine Arts Center Auditorium. The ceremony will be livestreamed in the overflow area and on the College’s official YouTube page.
Graduates of the Nursing Program will also participate in a Pinning Ceremony at 12 p.m. in the Utterback Ballroom, located in the Enoch Kelly Haney Center.
Campus offices will be closed to the public on the morning of May 8 to allow staff to assist with commencement preparations. The SSC Bookstore and The Flower Box will have pop-up shops on site before and after the event. Offices will reopen at 1:30 p.m.
For more information about SSC’s commencement activities, contact the Office of Admissions at (405) 382-9230.