Wayne State College Spring 2021 Commencement

Wayne State College will hold three graduation ceremonies on May 8 to celebrate Class of 2021 and Class of 2020 graduates. There will be a ceremony at 10 a.m. to mark the graduation of master’s candidates from the classes of 2020 and 2021. Class of 2021 undergraduate students will graduate at 1 p.m. Class of 2020 bachelor’s degree graduates will be celebrated at 4 p.m. Due to inclement weather, all of the ceremonies will take place in Rice Auditorium. Learn more about seating, tickets, and viewing opportunities.

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The graduate ceremony will confer 212 degrees on students in the college’s Master of Science in Education, Master of Organizational Management, Master of Business Administration, and Education Specialist programs. The event will also mark the graduation of 44 members of the spring and winter 2020 classes who were not able to participate in a ceremony due to COVID-19.

The graduate ceremony will feature master’s candidate Tia Jones of Omaha, Neb., delivering the invocation; Carter “Cap” Peterson delivering greetings from the Nebraska State College System; and remarks by master’s candidates Kelly Legler of Wayne, Neb., and Lisa Ryan of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa.

The undergraduate ceremony at 1 p.m. will confer 444 undergraduate degrees and will feature bachelor’s candidate Linnea Lee Vogel of Palmer, Neb., delivering the invocation; Carter “Cap” Peterson delivering greetings from the Nebraska State College System; presentation of the State Nebraska Bank & Trust Teaching Excellence Award to Dr. Dan Miller; recognition of honored retiring faculty Dr. Andrew Alexander, Dr. Vaughn Benson, and Dr. Craig Pease; and remarks by Dr. Vaughn Benson, who is receiving the Wayne State Foundation Alumni Achievement Award.

The undergraduate ceremony at 4 p.m. will celebrate 86 members of the class of 2020 and will feature greetings from Carter “Cap” Peterson on behalf of the Nebraska State College System; and remarks by Class of 2020 graduates Dwight Brabec of Clarkson, Neb., Sarah Nicole Kreber of Omaha, Neb., and Courtney Schnitzler of Omaha, Neb. The College is holding this special event for students who wished to come back for a graduation ceremony due to the cancellation of the spring 2020 commencement due to COVID-19.

Audience members are encouraged to wear masks at the ceremonies if social distancing is not possible. Tickets will be required for entry to the events if the ceremonies are moved to Rice Auditorium due to weather.

 

Commencement Program

Download the Full Commencement Program (PDF)
(includes list of candidates for degree)

 

Alumni Achievement Award: Dr. Vaughn Benson

Dr. Vaughn L. Benson received his bachelor’s degree in business administration-accounting from Wayne State in 1970. He later returned to the College, earning his master’s degree in education in 1973. Benson earned his Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, focusing on administration of higher education, financial accounting, management information systems, and public accounting. Benson is well known for his long career at Wayne State College, stemming back to 1974 when he became an accounting instructor for the Division of Business. During his tenure, he taught financial accounting, governmental and non-profit accounting, managerial finance, capital budgeting, auditing, and tax accounting. Benson was the head of the Division of Business as a faculty member from 1982 to 2001. He served as the dean of the School of Business and Technology from 2001 to 2020.

For the past year, he has returned to his passion of teaching as a professor for the Business and Economics Department and plans to retire this year. Outside of teaching, Benson also practiced for many years in the field. He served as an internal auditor at First National Bank in Wayne from 1977 to 1982, and a tax practitioner for H&R Block of Omaha from 1971 to 1973. He also practiced as a staff accountant for Peat, Marwick, Main and Company in Omaha in 1974, and for Ernst and Whinney of Des Moines from 1970 to 1971. Benson has served on several boards in the accounting and business profession. As a member of the Nebraska Society of Certified Public Accountants (NSCPA), he served on various professional committees, and from 2012 to 2015 he served on the NSCPA’s Board of Directors. Benson also served on the Education Advisory Board of the Nebraska State Board of Public Accountancy and as a commissioner for the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education, where he served two terms as board chair. He received the John L. Green Excellence in Business Education Award in 2012, and the Distinguished Service Award from the Adult and Continuing Education Association of Nebraska in 2003. He was also awarded the Nebraska Society of Certified Public Accountants Outstanding Accounting Educator Award in 2001, and the Delta Sigma Pi Business Faculty Member of the Year Award in 2000.

Benson and his wife, Julie, live in rural Walthill, Neb., where she is the school nurse in the Winnebago Public Schools. They are long-time supporters of the College and are members of the Wayne State Foundation’s Cornerstone Society.

 

Commencement Speakers

Tia Jones, Invocation Speaker (10 a.m. Graduate Ceremony)

Tia Jones of Omaha, Neb., will deliver the invocation. She is graduating with a master’s in organizational management degree with a sport management and recreation concentration. She earned her bachelor’s degree in sport management and political science at Wayne State in 2019. Tia is the daughter of Angela Jones of Atlanta, Ga.

During her time at Wayne State, Jones received multiple academic and athletic honors, including national honor societies, All-Academic awards, and the WSC Presidential Scholar Student-Athlete Award. As a member of the Wayne State Track and Field team, Jones was an NCAA Division II national qualifier in the shot put.

Jones recently completed an internship in cross country/track and field operations with the University of Minnesota. She plans to secure a job within college sports or a major league team in event and operations management after graduation.

Kelly Legler, Commencement Speaker (10 a.m. Graduate Ceremony)

Kelly Legler of Wayne, Neb., will deliver a commencement address. She is graduating with a master’s degree in business administration. Legler has served as the director of student accounts at Wayne State for three years.

She serves as treasurer of the WSC Professional Staff Senate; secretary of Wayne Elementary Boosters; and is a member of the Christian Education Committee at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Wayne and the Wayne Green Team.

She said she plans to use the new knowledge gained from her MBA to be a better manager and communicator.

Kelly is married to Dr. Christian Legler, professor of education at Wayne State. They have two daughters, Amelia, 13, and Alexis, 12.

Lisa Ryan, Commencement Speaker (10 a.m. Graduate Ceremony)

Lisa Ryan of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, will deliver a commencement address. She is graduating with a master’s degree in School Administration 7-12. She works as an instructional coach for South Sioux City Community Schools.

Ryan is the current masters steeplechase world record holder for United States Track and Field. She is a recent recipient of the Iowa National Guard Commendation Medal for civilian service to the 185th Air Refueling Wing.

She is the mother of six children, Madison, 23, Kali, 22, Kelsi, 21, Jenna, 18, Gabrielle, 16, and William, 14. She is also an active traveler and runner.

Ryan said she plans to continue pursuing the improvement of equity in education and increasing student achievement in her work with South Sioux City Community Schools.

Linnea Lee Vogel, Invocation Speaker (1 p.m. Undergraduate Ceremony)

Linnea Lee Vogel of Palmer, Neb., will deliver the invocation. She is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English Language Arts Education and English as a Second Language Education. She is the daughter of Jeff and Stacy Vogel of Palmer.

Vogel was a member of Alpha Lambda Delta freshman honor society, the Philomathean President’s Honor Society, and the Honors Program, earning High Honors in the Major. She served as president of Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society and of the Yarn Club. She was active in Campus Crusade for Christ; Wildcat Academy of Leadership and Knowledge (WALK); Student Council for Exceptional Children; Spanish Club, WSC Concert Choir and Women’s Choir, and intramurals.

Vogel hopes to spend a year teaching English in the Fulbright Program after graduation.

Dwight Brabec, Commencement Speaker (4 p.m. Undergraduate Ceremony)

Dwight Brabec of Clarkson, Neb., will deliver a commencement address. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics/Applied Computer Science, Computer Information Systems-Networking, and Computer Information Systems/Programmer Analyst in 2020.

Brabec was active in the Catholic Newman club, Country-Western club, and intramurals.

He works for Faith Regional Health Services in the information technology department.

He is the son of Gary and Jodi Brabec and is married to Taylor Brabec.

Sarah Nicole Kreber, Commencement Speaker (4 p.m. Undergraduate Ceremony)

Sarah Nicole Kreber of Omaha, Neb., graduated Summa cum Laude with High Honors in the Major in Speech Communication with concentrations in Organizational Leadership and Public Relations in 2020.

She was a dean’s list honoree all four years at WSC and was active as a WSC Admissions Navigator, president of Lambda Pi Eta communication honor society, president of Wildcat PR, president of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and Student Senate Secretary.

Kreber has worked as a growth marketing associate with The Olson Group in Omaha since August 2020.

She is the daughter of Dave and Brenda Kreber of Omaha.

Courtney Schnitzler, Commencement Speaker (4 p.m. Undergraduate Ceremony)

Courtney Schnitzler of Omaha, Neb., will deliver a commencement address. She graduated Summa cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Inclusive with Special Education K-6 in 2020.

Schnitzler was on the Dean's List all four years of her studies at Wayne State. She received the Education Matters Wayne State Academic Scholarship and the Selma Gilday Scholarship.

Her activities included Theta Phi Alpha, serving as president and in various other roles; Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society, serving as vice president; Love Your Melon; and Circle K International.

Schnitzler has worked as a first-grade grade teacher in Fremont, Nebraska, since 2020.

She is the daughter of Dale and Linda Schnitzler. Dale graduated from WSC with an accounting degree in 1983, and Linda graduated from WSC with a degree in counseling with psychology and sociology minors in 1983.