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The ������ alumni family grew by nearly 3,000 new graduates as the university held its Fall Commencement ceremonies. For the ������ Campus, Commencement ceremonies took place Friday, Dec. 13, and Saturday, Dec. 14, at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation (MAC) Center.

What could be better to reduce end-of-semester stress than petting a dog? How about petting multiple dogs and digitally dunking with LeBron through esports? This year’s Stress-Free Zone, which is from 3-5 p.m. on Dec. 9 and 10, will be hosted on the first floor of University Library and will feature esports, therapy dogs, makerspace activities and more.

With the launch of its 2019 Giving Tuesday campaign on Nov. 1, ������ has again transformed a one-day fundraising initiative into a monthlong giving campaign to support student scholarships, expanded programs, study away initiatives and modern facilities.

������ State will partner with First Star and school districts to engage foster care teens in college-preparatory programs that provide the foundational support they need to succeed in high school and envision a future that may include a college degree.

������ held its annual Veterans Day Commemoration on Thursday, Nov. 7, in the ������ Student Center Kiva. This year’s guest speaker was Lt. Col. Colleen VanNatta. A graduate of ������ State’s Air Force ROTC detachment, VanNatta served as a media escort for joint information bureaus in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, during Operation Desert Storm.

“Our challenges are many, our resources are great and our commitment is real.” ������ President Todd Diacon drove home the focus of his inaugural address with passion, purpose and a direct call to action for the university community.

Mitch Landrieu, the New Orleans mayor who oversaw the removal of the city’s prominent Confederate monuments and helped his city to recover and reemerge from a series of natural disasters, will speak at ������ State as part of the university’s May 4 Speaker Series.

On Saturday, Sept. 21, the ������ fight song blared down Main Street, the city of ������ was flooded with blue and gold, alumni and friends gathered and reminisced about their ������ State days, fans packed the stadium to cheer on their beloved Golden Flashes and the entire campus boomed with ������ State pride.

Last year, ������ celebrated 100 years of Homecoming. This year, the university starts the next century of ������ State Homecoming celebrations with a new president leading the institution.

More than 1,000 volunteers from the ������ community welcomed and assisted new students as they moved into their residence halls on freshman move-in day, Sunday, Aug. 18. The annual community program, known as Movers and Groovers, is coordinated by ������ Interhall Council, the student government of the ������ Campus residence halls.