Mississippi College Law School Graduation Set for August 7

Dr. Keith Elder, MC provost and executive vice president

A distinguished administrator and scholar in the public health field, Dr. Keith Elder will serve as the guest speaker at the Mississippi College Law School graduation on August 7.

The event begins that Friday at 10 a.m. at First Baptist Church Jackson.

On July 1, Dr. Elder began serving as MC’s provost and executive vice president. Before joining MC, he served as the founding dean of the Samford University School of Public Health since 2016. Dr. Elder previously served as chair of the Department of Health Management and Policy at Saint Louis University.

The University of Alabama-Birmingham graduate succeeded Interim Provost Debbie Norris. Earlier in his career, Dr. Elder served as a professor at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health and the University of Alabama-Birmingham’s Department of Health Services Administration.

He and his wife, Keshia, have two children, Hannah and Owen. Dr. Elder completed his doctoral training at the University of Maryland Baltimore County where he was the recipient of a National Institutes of Health Minority Pre-doctoral fellowship.

The MC Law graduation will be different this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Facial masks must be worn and social distancing practiced at the commencement.

Measures will be taken to “protect the health and safety of our graduates, their families and members of the MC Law family,” said MC Law Dean Patricia Bennett.

To control the size of the crowd, MC Law graduates can bring up to four guests.

The commencement ceremony is closed to the public. Bennett encourages people to watch the event via livestream.

MC Law graduates and faculty members are invited to take a group photo on the steps of First Baptist Church at 9 a.m.