West Liberty University will hold its Fall 2013 Commencement Ceremony at 11 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 14, in the Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex (ASRC).  Doors will open for seating at 9:30 a.m. and tickets are not required. One hundred and forty-seven students are expected to graduate and Michael Anderson, Mount Pleasant, Ohio, will be the graduating student speaker. Anderson is a Music Education major.

The commencement speaker will be Ray Searage, former WLU student, baseball player and current pitching coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 2013 season marked Searage’s 36th in professional baseball and his 11th with the Pittsburgh organization.

The graduating student with the highest grade point average in each respective college will receive the honor of carrying the college banner and include:

• College of Arts & Communication, Cody Gaston, Colliers, W.Va.
• College of Sciences, Claire Juszczak, Chester, W.Va.
• College of Business, Chelsie Orlofske, Bellaire, Ohio.
• College of Education, Alayca Coleman, Mount Clare, W.Va.
• College of Liberal Arts, Rebekah Fox, Benwood, W.Va.
• School of Professional Studies, Timothy Moore, West Alexander, Pa.

The Commencement Ceremony will be televised live on WLU-TV 14 (Comcast Channel 14).

A reception for graduates, guests and families will be held in the College Union immediately following the ceremony. Parking will be available for guests behind the ASRC.

West Liberty University is a forward-looking, four-year public university steeped in a rich heritage as West Virginia’s oldest institution of higher education. Five colleges — the College of Arts and Communication, the College of Education, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Science and the Gary E. West College of Business — offer more than 60 majors and 30 programs. Graduate programs include the Master of Arts in Education and the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program. Please call 1.866.WESTLIB for more information.