Askinosie to keynote MSU commencement

Springfield attorney-turned-chocolatier Shawn Askinosie has signed on to speak May 18 at JQH Arena during the first of three spring commencement ceremonies for Missouri State University.

The founder of Askinosie Chocolate will speak at the 10 a.m. ceremony, during which graduates from the colleges of Arts and Letters, Education, Humanities and Public Affairs, and global studies majors will receive their degrees, according to a news release.

During the ceremony, MSU officials will grant its 14th honorary doctorate to Askinosie, who also served as a criminal lawyer for 20 years and co-founded the Lost & Found children's grief center. The honorary degree is a doctor of public affairs.

Andre Lewis, deputy assistant secretary for the International and Foreign Language Education office of  the U.S. Department of Education, will speak during the university's 1:30 p.m. ceremony when graduates from the William H. Darr School of Agriculture and the colleges of Health and Human Services and Natural and Applied Sciences will receive their degrees, according to the release.

John Holstein, a former chief justice for the Supreme Court of Missouri and an adjunct professor of business law and education, will round out the commencements by speaking during the 5 p.m. ceremony. College of Business Administration graduates will receive degrees during the last commencement.

During the spring commencement ceremonies, MSU will confer 2,541 degrees, comprising 1,940 bachelor's degrees, 548 master's degree, nine specialist degrees and 44 doctorate degrees, the release said.