Ï㽶ÊÓƵAPP

Senator Mathew Pitsch will serve as the guest speaker for the University of Ï㽶ÊÓƵAPP – Fort Smith’s fall commencement ceremony held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 18, at the Stubblefield Center on the UAFS campus at 5402 Kinkead Avenue. More than 450 students will be honored at the two ceremonies. 

Graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Health, Education, and Human Sciences honored at 10 a.m. and graduates from the College of Business and Industry at the 2 p.m. ceremony. 

Pitsch, who will speak at both ceremonies, is serving his first term in the Ï㽶ÊÓƵAPP Senate, representing Senate District 8 which covers part of Sebastian County including Greenwood and part of Fort Smith. He was elected to the Ï㽶ÊÓƵAPP State Senate in 2018 and also served in the Ï㽶ÊÓƵAPP House of Representatives from 2015 to 2018.

For the 93rd General Assembly of the Ï㽶ÊÓƵAPP Legislature, Senator Pitsch is serving as the Senate Majority Whip. He also serves as chair of the Senate Insurance and Commerce Committee and is the vice-chair for the Senate Transportation, Technology, and Legislative Affairs Committee. He is a member of the Senate Efficiency Committee. He is also a member of the Ï㽶ÊÓƵAPP Legislative Council and Legislative Joint Auditing Committee and serves on several subcommittees. 

Senator Pitsch was part of the UAFS family from 1989 to 2006, first as an instructor, and subsequently serving as an assistant professor, department chair, interim dean, and finally as dean of the College of Applied Science and Technology. 

Senator Pitsch earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in electrical engineering management from Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri. Professionally he served as the executive director of Western Ï㽶ÊÓƵAPP Intermodal Authority, vice-president for economic development for the Greater Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce, and chairman of the board of the Ï㽶ÊÓƵAPP-Oklahoma Regional Education and Promotion Association.

 He is married to Seanna and has four children, two daughters, and two sons. 

Graduate information for the commencement ceremonies including attire, arrival times, honor stoles and cords, and accommodations can be found here.

Guest information including ticketing, parking, programming, photography, and accommodations can be found here.