College of Social Science celebrates graduates at 2024 Commencement Ceremony

May 5, 2024 - Emily Jodway

The Michigan State University College of Social Science held its 2024 undergraduate commencement ceremony on April 27 at the Breslin Student Events Center. All told, the university will graduate over 10,000 students across ceremonies for baccalaureate, master’s, doctoral and professional programs this spring. 

After a welcome from Dean Brent Donnellan recognizing the outstanding academic achievements of this year’s graduating class, the Social Science Alumni and Teaching Awards were presented. Larry Thompson, a sociology master’s recipient at MSU, received the Outstanding Alumni Award, while associate sociology professor Philip ‘PJ’ Pettis earned the Outstanding Teaching Award.

In addition, 43 Social Science seniors graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA and were recognized with the MSU Board of Trustees’ Award for Academic Excellence. A total of 13 students represented their graduating programs as 2024 Outstanding Seniors.

Joseph Allen, an Urban and Regional Planning student from Plano, Texas, gave this year’s Senior Class Address. Joey drew upon his own experiences during his four years at Michigan State to congratulate his fellow students on their resilience through the ups and downs of the collegiate experience, and encouraged them to take what they’ve learned and head out into the world prepared to tackle today’s problems head-on.

“I think it’s super important to say as social scientists, we can impact change in unique and creative ways. We can still talk about [society’s] issues with hope for a solution,” he said.

More information about all 2024 Commencement ceremonies can be found here.