More than 350 Minnesota State Moorhead students to graduate Dec. 17 & 18
Graduate Students Ceremony | Wednesday, Dec. 17 | 6 p.m. | Hansen Theatre
Undergraduate Ceremonies | Thursday, Dec. 18 | 10 a.m. & 2 p.m. | Hansen Theatre
Minnesota State Moorhead will award degrees to more than 350 students during three separate ceremonies for Fall Commencement located in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts Hansen Theatre. This includes 169 graduate students at the first-ever graduate students-only ceremony.
Graduate Students Ceremony, Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts Hansen Theatre
The Graduate Ceremony will be on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. featuring commencement speaker Dr. Stefanie Gefroh Ellison, West Market President at Essentia Health, a values-driven physician leader with extensive experience in healthcare strategy, operations, and clinical medicine. She provides strategic vision by leading initiatives to enhance integrated care, improve internal referral rates, and support exceptional quality and access.
Dr. Gefroh is a board-certified OB/GYN who continues to practice. Previous leadership roles include Associate Chief Medical Officer, Division Chair for Inpatient Services, Women’s and Inpatient Children’s Services, and Heart and Vascular Services. Her accomplishments include redesigning service lines, improving operational efficiency, enhancing patient care, and driving growth across multiple specialties.
A biology graduate of Minnesota State Moorhead, the University of North Dakota School of Medicine, and Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business, r. Gefroh also serves as an Associate Clinical Professor at UND.
Dr. Gefroh serves on the North Dakota Hospital Association. As a servant leader, she is passionate about advancing sustainable healthcare delivery, promoting quality initiatives, and fostering innovation to meet the needs of patients and communities.
Anna Egeland, North Mankato, Minn., will be the student speaker at the graduate ceremony. She is graduating with her Master of Business Administration (MBA), with an emphasis in accounting & finance. A graduate of Mankato West High School, she is the daughter of Jeff and Jodi Egeland.
Undergraduate Ceremonies, Thursday, Dec. 18 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts Hansen Theatre
Two undergraduate ceremonies, divided by college, will be held on Thursday, Dec. 18, also in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts Hansen Theatre. The featured alumni speaker for both undergraduate ceremonies will be 2021 communications graduate Katie Merrick. Merrick started as a communications intern with the Fargo Force, later became the media relations and merchandise manager, and, in January 2022, became their Vice President of Business Operations. Under her leadership, the team had its best off-ice season in history, breaking records in attendance, revenue, and community involvement. She also helped raise over $500,000 for local charities and represented the United States Hockey League at the NHL Draft. Last spring, she was also recognized with the MSUM Foundation’s inaugural 10 Under 10 Award, honoring alumni who stand out as up-and-coming leaders, innovators, and community builders.
The 10 a.m. ceremony will include undergraduate students from the College of Arts & Humanities and the College of College of Business, Analytics & Communication. The student speaker for the morning ceremony will be business administration major Dillon Fliehler. Parents are Beth and Jason Fliehler, Hugo, Minn. The White Bear Lake High School graduate plans to continue his education at Moorhead to get a Master of Business Administration. He is looking to enter a career in global strategy.
The 2 p.m. ceremony will include undergraduate students from the College ofEducation & Human Services and the College of Science, Health & the Environment. The afternoon student speaker will be Paige Ackerson,Glencoe, Minn. She is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biology with an emphasis in cellular and medical biology, and minors in public health and ecology & evolutionary biology. She plans to take a gap year before applying to Loma Linda University’s pathology assistant program. Parents are Lynn Ackerson and Cynthia Schade.
Additional details about the commencement ceremonies can be found on the website: mnstate.edu/commencement.