MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — This weekend will be a time of pomp and circumstance throughout the Mountain State. It’s graduation time for the Class of 2014 at many colleges and universities — including both West Virginia University and Marshall University.
In Morgantown, a series of commencement ceremonies, for the individual schools and colleges at WVU, will begin on Friday evening. Those ceremonies will continue through the weekend at a number of campus venues including WVU’s Coliseum, the Creative Arts Center and the Morgantown Event Center.
The list of commencement speakers includes Stephen Coonts, a best-selling author, Chris Sarandon, an actor who appeared in “The Princess Bride,” and Gale Catlett, a former Mountaineer head basketball coach. All are WVU graduates.
At Marshall University, more than 1,500 students will graduate during two main commencement ceremonies at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in downtown Huntington on Saturday. A 9 a.m. ceremony will be held for undergraduates, while a ceremony for graduate students is scheduled for 2 p.m.
A separate ceremony for the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine will be held on Friday night. Dr. Robert C. Gallo, the co-discoverer of the HIV virus, will be the featured speaker.
Additionally, Marshall’s other individual schools will hold ceremonies as well beginning on Friday.