Former astronaut and retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden, Jr. will be the spring commencement convocation speaker for Texas A&M University on Thursday, May 14, kicking off a three-day graduation celebration for almost 5,900 degree candidates.

Introduced by Aggie astronaut and long-time friend Mike Fossum, Gen. Bolden will speak at 5:30 p.m. at Reed Arena, which will be open to all spring degree candidates and their family members and friends.

The general was a space shuttle pilot astronaut for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for 13 years, flying four space missions, and served as assistant deputy administrator for NASA from April 1992 to June 1993. He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in May 2006.

He was assigned as deputy commanding general, 1MEF, Marine Forces, Pacific in 1997 and served as commanding general, 1 MEF (FWD) for Operation Desert Thunder in Kuwait from February to June 1998. In July 1998, he was promoted to major general and served as commanding general of the Third Marine Aircraft Wing. He retired from the Marine Corps in 2003 after 34 and a half years of service to his country.

Gen. Bolden is now CEO of JACKandPANTHER LLC, a privately-held military and aerospace consulting firm. Also, he is a director of Marathon Oil Corporation, the Bristow Group Inc., and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. Additionally, he is a trustee for the University of Southern California, a director of the Odyssey (Charter) Academy of Galveston and president of the board of the Sickle Cell Association of the Texas Gulf Coast.

He received a bachelor of science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master of science degree in systems management from the University of Southern California. Also, he is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School.

The first of the five Reed Arena commencement ceremonies for undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degree candidates will begin at 9 a.m. Friday, May 15, for the Colleges of Geosciences and Liberal Arts. Also that day, degrees will be awarded to candidates in the Colleges of Architecture and Agriculture and Life Sciences, beginning at 2 p.m., followed by 7 p.m. ceremonies for candidates from the Dwight Look College of Engineering and the George Bush School of Government and Public Service.

May 16 ceremonies begin at 9 a.m. for degree candidates in Mays Business School and undergraduates and master’s degree candidates in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and continue at 2 p.m. for degree candidates in the Colleges of Science and Education and Human Development.

The 2 p.m. commencement will include commissioning ceremonies for approximately 85 members of the Corps of Cadets who will be entering one of the four branches of the armed services as officers. Commissioning will be followed by the Corps of Cadets’ traditional “Final Review” at Kyle Field.

Separate graduation exercises will be held May 14 at 2 p.m. for approximately 125 recipients of the professional Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, with that ceremony to be held in Rudder Auditorium.

Following Thursday’s commencement convocation, The Association of Former Students and university officials are inviting all graduating students, their families and friends to a fun-filled program titled, “The Next Tradition.” The program is intended to welcome all graduating students into the 350,000-member alumni association and inform them of the importance of staying involved with their alma mater after graduation. “The Next Generation” program will be held at the Student Recreation Center, which is located across the street from Reed Arena.