Missouri Western plans to hold Spring Commencement this weekend for around 550 students.

The commencement ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 7 on Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium. The Missouri Western State University Alumni Association will hold a reception for graduates and their families following the ceremony in the home concession stand and concourse area of the stadium.

Other commencement-related activities include a physical therapist assistant pinning ceremony at 10:30 a.m. in the Kemper Recital Hall, inside Spratt Hall, and a nursing pinning ceremony at 11 a.m. in the Fulkerson Center.

During the commencement ceremony, Western will award an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters to Dr. Mark Laney, CEO of Mosaic Life Care. Student speakers will be graduating seniors Alex Atkinson, public relations major from Archie, Missouri, and Ida Haefner, zoology major from Hillsboro, Missouri. Lauren Bergman, music major from St. Joseph, will sing the National Anthem, and Kayla Mertz, vocal music major from Smithville, Missouri, will sing Missouri Western’s Alma Mater.

In the event of inclement weather, the commencement ceremony will be held inside the Looney Complex arena. Because of limited seating available in the arena, tickets have been issued to graduates for the indoor ceremony. Overflow seating will be available in Potter Hall and Spratt Hall to accommodate guests unable to be seated in Looney.