Mississippi Valley State University is elated to announce plans to hold its 72nd Commencement Exercise at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 4, 2024, in the R.W. Harrison Complex.
The arrival time for all MVSU graduates is 6:30 a.m., and everyone is expected to be in regalia. The gates to the stadium will open at 7 a.m. for the general public.
The commencement speaker for this year will be MVSU alum, Mr. Archie Tucker, Sr., Area Director for the Southeast Area of the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service in Stoneville, MS.
A native of Leland, Mississippi, Tucker is a graduate of Leland High School. At the age of sixteen years old, Tucker began his government career. He has over 48 years of federal service.
Aside from his recent position as an Area Director, Tucker also held positions of Associate Area Director, Assistant Area Director, Deputy Area Director, Area Administrative Officer, Area Property Management Officer, and Biological Laboratory Technician. He is also the first African American in the history of USDA-ARS to hold positions of Deputy Area Director and Area Administrative Officer.
Tucker has received numerous honors and awards including the 2024 A.L. Vandergriff Cotton Pioneer Award from the Southern Cotton Ginners Association, the 2022 Presidential Rank Award, Distinguished Alumni Award for 2005 from Mississippi Valley State University, the Dr. James Herbert White Preeminence Award for Achievement in Excellence from Mississippi Valley State University.
He earned a B.S. Degree in Business Administration from MVSU. In addition, he has completed extensive Management Training at the American Management Association, the USDA Graduate School and the Key Executive Leadership training program at American University in Washington, D.C.
Tucker is married to Beryl Amos Tucker, and they have been married for 42 years. Their son, Dr. Archie Tucker, II, is Senior Vice President for Advancement at the University of Texas at Tyler, and he is married to Veronica Tucker, and the couple has two sons, Jordan, 16, and Austin, 12. Their daughter, Ashley Tucker-Patterson, is Business Manager, Southwest Region, Mississippi State University Extension. She is married to Ken Patterson, and they have two daughters, Alana, 6, and Morgan, 14 months.