Ļć½¶Ö±²„honoring Berry, Tucker during spring graduation ceremonies set for May 12-15
Contact: Carl Smith
STARKVILLE, Miss.āApproximately 4,000 Bulldogs will receive Mississippi State degrees and certificates this month during commencement ceremonies scheduled May 12-15 in Starkville and Meridian.
During the Starkville campus ceremonies, Ļć½¶Ö±²„President Mark E. Keenum will award honorary Doctor of Public Service degrees to William āBillā Berry, retired ConocoPhillips executive vice president for worldwide exploration and production, and Archie Tucker, retired area director for the federal governmentās Agricultural Research Service.
Berry earned bachelorās and masterās degrees in petroleum engineering from Ļć½¶Ö±²„in 1974 and 1976, respectively. He began his career with Phillips Petroleum in 1976, working his way across the globe in various engineering and management roles in London, England; Abidjan, Ivory Coast; and Stavanger, Norway. In 1992, the Gulfport native moved to China, where he was responsible for the companyās upstream and downstream activities. The Chinese government recognized him as one of 31 outstanding foreign experts in 1996.
Berry supported education throughout his career and held roles with the Ļć½¶Ö±²„Bagley College of Engineering Deanās Advisory Council and the Ļć½¶Ö±²„Foundation Board, as well as positions with the Beijing International School and Teach for America, among other organizations.
Tuckerās 50-year career with the U.S. Department of Agricultureās ARS began when he was a 16-year-old high school student and concluded in 2025, when he retired as the Southeast area director while based in Stoneville. He provided leadership for various research projects in nine Southern states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands during his tenure.
The 1979 Mississippi Valley State University graduate received numerous honors and recognitions throughout his career, including the 2024 A.L. Vandergriff Cotton Pioneer Award from the Southern Cotton Ginners Association, the 2022 Presidential Rank Awardāthe highest award a federal civilian employee can receiveāand multiple Secretary Honor Awards in recognition and appreciation of exceptional performance and outstanding contributions to the success of the USDA. In 2015, Tucker received the USDAās most prestigious award, the Abraham Lincoln Award, for exceptional achievement and outstanding contributions to American agriculture. Four years later, he received the Delta Council Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to aquaculture.
Keenum will serve as the featured commencement speaker for all Ļć½¶Ö±²„ceremonies and will award bachelorās, masterās, educational specialist and doctoral degrees, and other certificates. Tucker will receive his honorary degree during May 14ās afternoon ceremony, while Ļć½¶Ö±²„will honor Berry during May 15ās afternoon commencement.
Ļć½¶Ö±²„will broadcast all ceremonies via the Ļć½¶Ö±²„TV Centerās livestream atĀ , on the MSTV app and on the universityās main Facebook page.
Starkville graduates can invite up to eight guests, and Meridian graduates can have up to four. Tickets are required for the May 14 and 15 Humphrey Coliseum events, and instructions for claiming them have been emailed to graduates.
Humphrey Coliseum guest seating is general admission, and guests should plan for security screenings upon entry. Graduates are asked to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the ceremony and bring with them their Ļć½¶Ö±²„ID cards, driverās licenses or another form of government identification. Attendees may leave the program when their graduate leaves the stage.
The DVM ceremony does not require tickets, while the doctoral graduation and hooding ceremony is by invitation only.
For more information, including complete logistics for visitors attending commencement, visit .
MSUās detailed spring 2026 graduation schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, May 12:
ā11:30 a.m.:Ā Starkville campus, Humphrey Coliseum: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
ā4 p.m.:Ā Doctoral Graduation and Hooding Ceremony, Bettersworth Auditorium, Lee Hall, Starkville (Invitation only)
Wednesday, May 13:
ā11 a.m.:Ā MSU-Meridian, Ļć½¶Ö±²„Riley Center
Thursday, May 14:
ā9:30 a.m.Ā (doors open at 8 a.m.): Starkville campus, Humphrey Coliseum: College of Arts and Sciences, College of Integrative Studies
ā2:30 p.m.Ā (doors open at 1 p.m.):Ā Starkville Campus, Humphrey Coliseum: ACCESS, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Education
Friday, May 15:
ā9:30 a.m.Ā (doors open at 8 a.m.):Ā Starkville Campus, Humphrey Coliseum: College of Architecture, Art and Design, College of Business
ā2:30 p.m.Ā (doors open at 1 p.m.):Ā Starkville Campus, Humphrey Coliseum: Academic Affairs, Bagley College of Engineering, College of Forest Resources, College of Professional and Continuing Studies, College of Veterinary Medicine
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