Three hundred students will receive their diplomas this December from the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and School of Natural Resources.

CAFNR’s graduation ceremonies will begin at 12:30 p.m., Dec. 20, in the Hearnes Center, Columbia. One hundred ninety three will receive diplomas, 28 with honors.

R. Bowen Loftin.

Sixty seven majored in Hospitality Management, 26 in Animal Sciences, 23 in Agricultural Systems Management, 20 in Agribusiness Management, 19 in Biochemistry, 15 in Plant Sciences, six in Agriculture, six in Food Science, five in Agricultural Education, four in Science and Agricultural Journalism, and two in Agricultural and Applied Economics.

The graduation speaker will be R. Bowen Loftin, chancellor of the University of Missouri. Loftin is the twenty-second chief executive of the University. Loftin is a frequent consultant to industry and government in the areas of modeling and simulation, advanced training technologies and scientific/engineering data visualization.

Loftin graduated from Texas A&M in 1970 with a degree in physics and holds a master’s and doctoral degree in physics from Rice University, earned in 1973 and 1975, respectively.

SNR will graduate 107 students beginning at 5 p.m., Dec. 20, at the Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts in Columbia.

Bill Bryan.

Of those graduating, 74 majored in Parks, Recreation and Tourism; 14 in Fisheries and Wildlife; nine in Forestry; eight in Soil, Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences; and two with dual majors in Forestry and Fisheries and Wildlife. Twelve graduated with honors.

The graduation speaker for SNR will be Bill Bryan, director of Missouri State Parks. Bryan earned a bachelor of science degree in communication from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1987, and a law degree from there in 1990.

As director, Bryan is the chief steward of Missouri’s park system, which includes 87 state parks and historic sites across the state. From 2005 to 2009 he was deputy chief of staff for the Missouri Attorney General and served as lead counsel for natural resource damage litigation.

Eric Aldrich, instructor in Soil, Environmental and Atmospheric Science, will play the theater’s vintage pipe organ during the ceremony.