Northwest Missouri State University on Friday night awarded 223 master’s and specialist degrees to begin its weekend of spring commencement ceremonies. Additionally, Northwest recognized five candidates for its Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership offered jointly with the University of Missouri-Columbia. The candidates will have their degrees conferred by the University of Missouri-Columbia.

The university on Saturday had to schedule two ceremonies to hand out 656 students bachelor’s degrees.

Just one-third of the U.S. population holds a bachelor’s degree or above, Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski noted during his opening remarks. He praised the graduates for the courage they exhibited to pursue degrees and encouraged them to contribute to the communities they go on to serve.

David Edwards, a vice president and fellow at Cerner, a global health care information technology company headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, delivered Friday evening’s commencement address.

During 24 years with Cerner, Edwards has been instrumental in leading Cerner through pivotal shifts in technology and architecture. He also has been influential in incubating and promoting the use of collaborative and agile development methodologies. In 2008, he was awarded the Cerner fellow designation in recognition for his distinguished technical contributions.

Edwards earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science with a minor in mathematics in 1991 from Northwest, where he also serves as a member of the Computer Science Professional Advisory Board.

Rodney Edge, a 1984 Northwest alumnus and military veteran with extensive operations management experience, delivered Saturday’s commencement addresses.

Prior to joining APT in 2014, Edge enjoyed a U.S. Army career that spanned more than 20 years and culminated as chief executive officer at Fort Lee, Virginia. Some of his previous roles also include serving as a diplomatic advisor to senior Saudi Arabian officials and as a deputy division chief at the Pentagon.