Jefferson City mayor to speak at commencement

11/30/2011 Mary Ann Beahon
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (573) 592-1127

 

Eric Struemph, mayor of Jefferson City, Mo., will address William Woods University graduates and their families during commencement exercises Dec. 9.

The graduates include eight students from Joplin who completed their educational specialist degrees despite the tornado that decimated the city in May.

A WWU graduate and adjunct faculty member, Struemph was elected mayor in February. He is also the general manager for CED/Philips and Company, an electrical distributor in Jefferson City and Osage Beach.
 
It will be one of WWU’s largest December commencements, with 632 graduates. A total of 377 December degrees will be conferred. Another 255 graduates whose degrees were conferred in August are eligible to participate in the winter ceremony. A combined total of 1,076 students in all disciplines have graduated from WWU in the past 12 months.
 
The commencement ceremony and hooding of candidates for graduate degrees will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 9 in Cutlip Auditorium of the McNutt Campus Center.
 
Degrees earned by December and August graduates combined include 17 associate of arts, eight bachelor of arts, 101 bachelor of science, 195 master of business administration, 231 master of education and 79 educational specialist degrees.  
 
In addition to students from the Fulton campus, students from cohorts in 35 communities will receive their diplomas: Blue Springs, Boonville, Branson, Brookfield, Cape Girardeau, Chillicothe, Columbia, Dexter, Fetus, Hannibal, Harrisonville, Jefferson City, Joplin, Kansas City, Kearney, Kirksville, Lockwood, Louisiana, Macon, Marshall, Maryville, Mount Vernon, Platte City, Poplar Bluff, Richmond, Sedalia, Sikeston, Springfield, St. Charles, Summersville, Versailles, Warrenton, Washington and West Plains, Mo., as well as Paragould, Ark                                                      

Taiwanese and Chinese students who were members of the international cohort studying on the Fulton campus completed their graduate degree programs in the summer and will be recognized at this commencement.
 
The commencement speaker, Struemph, is active in the Jefferson City community. He has served as chairman of the Salute to America 2011 Board of Directors, vice chairman of the Public Safety Committee, president of the Jefferson City Jaycees, and board member of the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce.
 
Struemph is a member of the Home Builders Association of Jefferson City, Knights of Columbus, Host Lions Club, Rotary Club, and Cole County Volunteer Fire Department. He has been honored as one of the Outstanding Young Men of America and a 40 under 40 honoree. He is a 2002 graduate of the Leadership Jefferson City program.
 
He graduated from William Woods University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. He is married to Darla Struemph and has two daughters attending Jefferson City schools. The Struemphs are members of St. Peters Church.