Bryant to Speak at MUW Graduation

COLUMBUS, Miss. – Mississippi University for Women graduates will hear from the state’s top elected official at commencement Friday, Dec. 12 at 2 p.m. in Whitfield Hall, Rent Auditorium.

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant is expected to deliver his address to about 105 W graduates, who are expected to walk in the ceremony.

Bryant was sworn in as Mississippi’s 64^th governor January 2012. Before becoming the state’s chief executive, he was lieutenant governor from 2008-2011. Bryant also served as state auditor and represented his legislative district in the Mississippi House of Representatives for five years.

As governor, Bryant has led Mississippi in implementing transformational public education reforms and in building a competitive business climate that attracts major employers such as Yokohama Tire Corporation. He is president of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission and past president of the Southern States Energy Board. Gov. Bryant also is an avid outdoorsman and is a longtime member of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action.

He learned early the value of hard work and the importance of an education from his parents. His father was a diesel mechanic and his mother was a stay-at-home mom, who took care of her three sons. A native of  Moorhead, Bryant earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Hinds Community College and completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Southern Mississippi. He holds a master’s degree in political science from Mississippi College, and before assuming his role as governor, Bryant served as an adjunct professor of government there.

Gov. Bryant and his wife, Deborah Bryant, have two adult children, Katie Bryant Snell and Patrick Bryant, and are active members of St. Marks United Methodist Church in Brandon.