Convocation Speakers
Dr. Ronna Vanderslice
The 2021 Call to Convocation will be delivered by Dr. Ronna Vanderslice, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Cameron University. Dr. Vanderslice began her tenure at Cameron in 2006, serving as project director for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. The following year, she was named Dean of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences. She was appointed to her current position as vice president in 2013.
Dr. Vanderslice holds a doctorate in educational leadership and a master’s degree in reading education from Texas Tech University, a master’s degree in school counseling from East Central University and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She is a national Board of Examiner member for NCATE. She also serves as chair for Oklahoma’s Program Review Advisory Board.
Michael Faggett, Class of 2011
The 2021 Commencement address will be delivered by Cameron University alumnus Michael Faggett. Since graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication in 2011, he has shared his production and broadcast skills with television outlets in Denton, Houston and Shreveport, La., where is he is senior news producer, and news and digital content producer at KSLA-TV.
Mr. Faggett’s success comes as no surprise, as his talent has been recognized with such awards as the Multimedia Storytelling Award from the Oklahoma Collegiate Media Association, the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award, three Emmy Awards and an AP Award.
During his time at Cameron, he served as the Broadcast Club’s representative to the CU Student Government Association, produced and hosted two regular shows on CUTV, wrote for the Cameron Collegian, was active in the Ebony Society, and served as a resident housing assistant – all while earning a place on either the President’s or Dean’s Honor Roll each semester. He was a member of the CU Speech and Debate Team; was inducted into Pi Kappa Delta, Lambda Pi Delta, Phi Eta Sigma; was named as one of CU’s Top 20 Students; and was honored with numerous departmental awards.
Mr. Faggett was named Outstanding Aggie of Tomorrow in 2010 and Outstanding Young Alumni in 2020.
Jose Olivo, President, Cameron University Student Government Association
Recognizing this year’s outstanding students and scholars will be Jose Olivo, a senior at Cameron University who is majoring in strategic communications with a minor in psychology. With plans to pursue a license in professional counseling, he enrolled in graduate courses in CU Behavioral Science program this semester.
Mr. Olivo currently serves as president of the CU Student Government Association where he has the opportunity to be the voice for students in communicating with administration, and has gained valuable experience learning to manage public concern. These skills serve him well as a case manager at the C. Carter Crane Center for Empowerment and Advancement where he currently works. As a case manager, his focus is working with the homeless population and helping them find and use tools available to get them into a position where they can take on responsibility and lead a productive life.
