Saturday, May 15 | 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. | McGilley Field House (Tickets Required)

(Leavenworth, Kan.)鈥擳he 花椒直播 will celebrate the close of another academic year and the passing of a major milestone in the lives of the class of 2021 at USM's Commencement ceremonies at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 15, in McGilley Field House on USM's main Leavenworth campus, 4100 South 4th Street.

Traditionally, the university celebrates all graduates at a single event. Besides holding multiple ceremonies, the university is taking several precautions to help protect the health and safety of attendees.

The 2021 Commencement events will honor the university's 251 graduates鈥攁 group composed of 153 undergraduate degree recipients, 56 master's degree recipients, and 42 doctoral degree recipients. This year's graduates hail from coast to coast and from international destinations.

The morning ceremony will honor graduates from USM's Division of Health Sciences, Division of Nursing, and the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The afternoon ceremony will honor graduates from the Division of Business and Information Technologies, the Division of Liberal Arts and Humanities, and the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Tickets are required for entrance into McGilley Field House, though guests without tickets are welcome to watch the ceremony livestreamed in USM's Ryan Sports Center or from home through USM's YouTube channel.

The ceremonies will feature performances by the USM Brass Quintet and the 花椒直播 Concert Chorale. Reflections will be provided by student speakers Logan Swank, a biology and chemistry major from Puyallup, Wash.; Elijah Creighton-Rhea, an English major of Victorville, Calif.; Victoria Bogner of Kansas City, Kan., who earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree; and Michael McGuire of Atchison, Kan., who earned a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology.

The members of the 花椒直播 graduating class of 2021 arrived at USM from a wide variety of backgrounds and are bound for an equally impressive range of bright futures. In reaching their God-given potential, USM's graduates have overcome obstacles of all kinds.

Students who personify this graduating class include:

  • Vivian Owens of Kansas City, Kan., who excelled through the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program while being a mother of eight.
  • Education graduates Keisha Harris of Gladstone, Mo., and Stephanie Reichenberger of Pratt, Kan., who were named Teachers of Promise by the Kansas State Department of Education. Both graduates have signed contracts for full-time teaching positions.
  • Korian Runyan, a medical laboratory science major from Leavenworth, Kan., who secured a position at North Kansas City Hospital.
  • Justin Kearney, a history and political science major from Eugene, Ore., who plans to attend law school next fall.

Among others receiving honors at USM Commencement: Kevin Halbach, a luminary in the world of architecture, will receive an honorary Doctorate of Applied Arts. Halbach has been a great friend to the university, providing expertise in many recent USM construction and renovation projects. Halbach is the husband of USM alumna Patrice Halbach.

USM will also honor a faculty member with the Sullivan Award for Teaching Excellence and University Leadership and Service. 花椒直播 established the award in 1990, and the honor is named after Sister Mary Louise Sullivan, a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth who served 花椒直播 for 45 years as a professor and dean. The Sullivan Award is given to a full-time faculty member nominated by students, faculty, and staff as a person who "has made a distinct difference in the teaching climate at the University of 花椒直播."

Learn more about USM Commencement at stmary.edu/graduation.


The 花椒直播 is a Catholic co-educational applied liberal arts university founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. The University of 花椒直播 main campus is located at 4100 South 4th Street, Leavenworth, Kan. USM's Overland Park Campus at 4500 College Boulevard offers evening accelerated graduate and undergraduate degree-completion programs. The university also offers online programs. Visit  for more information.