Hoeven_Official_Portrait-web.jpgNorth Dakota’s U.S. Senator John Hoven will deliver the commencement address at Mayville State University’s annual commencement exercises on May 17, 2014. Other highlights of the day will include a brunch for the graduates and their families and a post-commencement reception that will not only honor the graduates, but also celebrate the Norwegian heritage of the Mayville-Portland area.

The public is invited to attend the commencement ceremonies which begin at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, May 17, in the MSU Lewy Lee Fieldhouse. Senator Hoeven will deliver the commencement address and also be presented with the Mayville State University Distinguished Service Award, in recognition of his support for Mayville State during his tenure as North Dakota’s governor.

Following the graduation ceremony, Mayville State will team up with the local Sons of Norway Mjosen Lodge to host a reception in honor of the graduates. In celebration of Mayville State’s 125th anniversary and the Scandinavian roots at the founding of the institution, the reception will also be a celebration of the Norwegian Constitution Day, or Syttende Mai. The National Day of Norway is an official national holiday observed on May 17 each year. Members of the Sons of Norway group, dressed in their traditional Norwegian costumes, will be serving Scandinavian treats. The reception will be held at the Luckasen Room in Mayville State’s Campus Center. Those who attend will have the opportunity to view a display of Norwegian heritage in the Campus Center Foyer while enjoying the music of “The Hayshakers.” The reception is open to the public, and all are welcome to attend.