AUM prepares to celebrate largest-ever graduating class

Auburn University at Montgomery will celebrate the largest graduating class in school history during its Spring 2025 commencement on Saturday, May 10.

AUM will award an estimated 733 degrees during a pair of ceremonies at the AUM Athletics Complex. Graduates of AUM’s Colleges of Education, Nursing & Health Sciences, and Sciences will be recognized beginning at 10 a.m. At 2 p.m., graduates of the Colleges of Business, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and University College will be honored. The university will provide online live-streaming of its ceremonies.

“We look forward to celebrating this special milestone with our graduates, as well as their families and friends,” AUM Chancellor Carl A. Stockton said. “Whether a student is completing a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree or a doctorate, they are united by a spirit of perseverance and a dedication to pursuit of knowledge.”

Graduates will be addressed by a civic leader and educational advocate who also happens to be one of AUM’s own. Town of Pike Road Mayor Gordon Stone, who earned an MBA from the university, will serve as the commencement speaker. Stone has served as Pike Road’s Mayor since 2004, guiding the community’s growth from 350 residents to more than 12,000. Since 1997, he has also served as executive director of the Higher Education Partnership, an advocacy group representing students, faculty, staff, alumni and other key stakeholders of Alabama’s 14 public four-year universities.

Several outstanding AUM students will have the honor of serving as graduation marshals for their respective colleges. AUM’s Spring 2025 student marshals are:

College of Business

Alan Gamper, Accounting, Prattville, Ala.

Nahia Izco, Human Resource Management, Pamplona, Spain

Sanjana Mendadala, Master of Science in Management Information Systems, Andhra Pradesh, India

College of Education

Khaliah Corneliah Ashley, Master’s in Secondary Education – English Language Arts, Goodwater, Ala.

Rickey Taylor Fennie, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Montgomery, Ala.

Hailey Whitlock, Kinesiology, Deatsville, Ala.

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

Madalyn Barfield, Social Work, Montgomery, Ala.

Kailey Hill, English-Creative Writing, Deatsville, Ala.

 Maya Camille Thompson, Communication Studies, Chicago, Ill.

College of Nursing & Health Sciences

George Deloney, Master of Science in Nursing Health Systems, Ozark, Ala.

Haley Ann Frank, Communication Disorders, Mansfield, Ga.

Karis Walker, Nursing, Clanton, Ala.

College of Sciences

 Peyton Baker, Mathematics, Montgomery, Ala.

Julie Langdon, Environmental Science, Dallas, Texas

Shelbi Ralls, Chemistry, Phoenix, Ariz.

University College

 Victoria Parrish, Interdisciplinary Studies (minor in Graphic Design), Sylacauga, Ala.

John C. Tunnell, Interdisciplinary Studies, Tuscaloosa, Ala.