5/9/06 Contact: Katie Wilder, 334/844-9999 (wildeka@auburn.edu)
David M. Granger, 334/844-9999 (grangdm@auburn.edu)

FATHER, DAUGHTER BOTH TO RECEIVE AU DEGREES ON THURSDAY

Two degrees among 2,560 AU will award at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. ceremonies

AUBURN - When Ande Sumner’s dad Gordon told her he was returning to school to pursue his master’s degree, she thought it was a good idea. When he told her he’d chosen Auburn, she was excited. When she found out they would be graduating on the same day, she thought it was “the coolest thing in the world.”

“It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Ande said.

On Thursday, May 11, both Sumners will walk across the stage at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum during Auburn’s spring commencement ceremonies, with Ande receiving her bachelor’s degree in zoology with a pre-vet concentration during the 10 a.m. ceremony and her father receiving his master’s in business administration from the College of Business’ Executive MBA program at the 2 p.m. ceremony. The Sumners’ degrees are among the estimated 2,560 academic degrees that will be awarded at two ceremonies.

When she enrolled at Auburn during the fall semester of 2002, Ande was the first person in her family to attend AU. Her parents attended Jacksonville State University, where her dad received a bachelor’s degree in music education and music performance. While at JSU, Gordon Sumner was a member of the ROTC and chose a military career upon graduation. The Sumners moved many times but settled in Springfield, Va., where Gordon retired from the military in 1997 and Ande finished 7th-12th grades.

Ande said her parents have always been fond of Auburn and encouraged her to visit during her senior year of high school.

“Auburn was just beautiful and familiar and everyone was so nice,” she said. “Everything just fit with me and I fell in love. I don’t think I could have fit in anywhere else.”

In 2004, two years after Ande began attending AU, Gordon Sumner enrolled in AU’s MBA program. “We did the math one night and figured out we’d be graduating together,” Ande said.
This will not be the first graduate degree for Gordon Sumner. He received a doctorate in adult education for music accompaniment in piano.

“My dad always said he wanted to continue his education to the highest degree possible,” Ande said. And she is following that same path. Ande will be attending AU’s graduate program in exercise science with an emphasis in biomechanics and then possibly vet school. “I want to study human movement and apply it to animals,” she said. “I one day hope to work with animals in sports medicine.”

Ande said her father would also like to return to college. “One day he wants to be a professor and teach freshman music appreciation,” she said.

Currently, Gordon works for a private government contractor. He thought an MBA would be an asset to his profession and AU’s Executive MBA program gave him the flexibility of pursuing his degree while still working full time.

Ande says it has been fun experiencing college while her dad is also in school. “Sometimes when he complains about the homework I just laugh,” she said.

The Sumners’ degrees are among the estimated 2,560 academic degrees that will be awarded at two ceremonies.

Students in the colleges of Engineering, Liberal Arts, Sciences and Mathematics and the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences will receive their degrees at the 10 a.m. ceremony. Graduates of the colleges of Agriculture; Architecture, Design and Construction; Business, Education, Human Sciences and the School of Nursing will receive degrees at 2 p.m.

The College of Veterinary Medicine and the Harrison School of Pharmacy will hold separate graduation ceremonies on Tuesday.

Of the degrees AU will award at the two ceremonies on Thursday, 2,110 are bachelor’s degrees, 383 are master’s degrees, 9 are education specialist degrees and 58 are doctorates.

Family members who will not be attending Thursday’s commencement can view the ceremonies online. The university will offer streaming video at http://www.auburn.edu/communications_marketing/graduationlive/ . The webcasts will begin approximately 15 minutes before the ceremonies.

Auburn University is a preeminent land-grant and comprehensive research institution with more than 23,000 students and 6,500 faculty and staff. Ranked among the top 50 public universities nationally, Auburn is Alabama’s largest educational institution, offering more than 230 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs.

(Contributed by Katie Wilder.)

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