MSU honoring Berry, Tucker during spring graduation ceremonies set for May 12-15
Contact: Carl Smith
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Approximately 4,000 Bulldogs will receive Mississippi State degrees and certificates this month during commencement ceremonies scheduled May 12-15 in Starkville and Meridian.
During the Starkville campus ceremonies, MSU President Mark E. Keenum will award honorary Doctor of Public Service degrees to William “Bill” Berry, retired ConocoPhillips executive vice president for worldwide exploration and production, and Archie Tucker, retired area director for the federal government’s Agricultural Research Service.
Berry earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in petroleum engineering from MSU in 1974 and 1976, respectively. He began his career with Phillips Petroleum in 1976, working his way across the globe in various engineering and management roles in London, England; Abidjan, Ivory Coast; and Stavanger, Norway. In 1992, the Gulfport native moved to China, where he was responsible for the company’s upstream and downstream activities. The Chinese government recognized him as one of 31 outstanding foreign experts in 1996.
Berry supported education throughout his career and held roles with the MSU Bagley College of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council and the MSU Foundation Board, as well as positions with the Beijing International School and Teach for America, among other organizations.
Tucker’s 50-year career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ARS began when he was a 16-year-old high school student and concluded in 2025, when he retired as the Southeast area director while based in Stoneville. He provided leadership for various research projects in nine Southern states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands during his tenure.
The 1979 Mississippi Valley State University graduate received numerous honors and recognitions throughout his career, including the 2024 A.L. Vandergriff Cotton Pioneer Award from the Southern Cotton Ginners Association, the 2022 Presidential Rank Award—the highest award a federal civilian employee can receive—and multiple Secretary Honor Awards in recognition and appreciation of exceptional performance and outstanding contributions to the success of the USDA. In 2015, Tucker received the USDA’s most prestigious award, the Abraham Lincoln Award, for exceptional achievement and outstanding contributions to American agriculture. Four years later, he received the Delta Council Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to aquaculture.
Keenum will serve as the featured commencement speaker for all MSU ceremonies and will award bachelor’s, master’s, educational specialist and doctoral degrees, and other certificates. Tucker will receive his honorary degree during May 14’s afternoon ceremony, while MSU will honor Berry during May 15’s afternoon commencement.
MSU will broadcast all ceremonies via the MSU TV Center’s livestream at www.utc.msstate.edu/mstv, on the MSTV app and on the university’s main Facebook page.
Starkville graduates can invite up to eight guests, and Meridian graduates can have up to four. Tickets are required for the May 14 and 15 Humphrey Coliseum events, and instructions for claiming them have been emailed to graduates.
Humphrey Coliseum guest seating is general admission, and guests should plan for security screenings upon entry. Graduates are asked to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the ceremony and bring with them their MSU ID cards, driver’s licenses or another form of government identification. Attendees may leave the program when their graduate leaves the stage.
The DVM ceremony does not require tickets, while the doctoral graduation and hooding ceremony is by invitation only.
For more information, including complete logistics for visitors attending commencement, visit www.registrar.msstate.edu/students/graduation.
MSU’s detailed spring 2026 graduation schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, May 12:
—11:30 a.m.: Starkville campus, Humphrey Coliseum: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
—4 p.m.: Doctoral Graduation and Hooding Ceremony, Bettersworth Auditorium, Lee Hall, Starkville (Invitation only)
Wednesday, May 13:
—11 a.m.: MSU-Meridian, MSU Riley Center
Thursday, May 14:
—9:30 a.m. (doors open at 8 a.m.): Starkville campus, Humphrey Coliseum: College of Arts and Sciences, College of Integrative Studies
—2:30 p.m. (doors open at 1 p.m.): Starkville Campus, Humphrey Coliseum: ACCESS, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Education
Friday, May 15:
—9:30 a.m. (doors open at 8 a.m.): Starkville Campus, Humphrey Coliseum: College of Architecture, Art and Design, College of Business
—2:30 p.m. (doors open at 1 p.m.): Starkville Campus, Humphrey Coliseum: Academic Affairs, Bagley College of Engineering, College of Forest Resources, College of Professional and Continuing Studies, College of Veterinary Medicine
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.