Commencement Ceremonies Celebrate Class of 2024

More than 1,400 Carlson School students officially became alumni today following two commencement ceremonies at 3M Arena at Mariucci on campus.

This year’s graduating class included:

• 950 undergraduates receiving Bachelor of Science in Business degrees.
• 517 graduate students from 14 programs, including Full-Time, Part-Time, Online, and Executive MBA; Global Executive MBA (China and Vienna); Master of Human Resources and Industrial Relations; Master of Business Taxation; Master of Accountancy; Master of Science in Business Analytics, Master of Applied Business Analytics; Master of Marketing; Master of Science in Finance, and Master of Science in Supply Chain Management.
• 12 doctoral students receiving PhD degrees in business administration.

“You arrive here today having stayed the course during a time when our world continues to face unprecedented challenges. As a result, society needs leaders like you now more than ever before,” Carlson School Dean Jamie Prenkert wrote to graduates.

Linh Peters, ’05 MBA, was the keynote speaker at both ceremonies. She shared her story of coming to the United States as a refugee from Vietnam in 1979, obtaining her master’s degree at the Carlson School, and working in several leadership roles, most recently as senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Walgreens.

“My hope is that you will far exceed any goals or expectations that you may be dreaming for yourself today,” Peters told the graduates. “Worry less about the level of individual prominence that you will achieve, and care more about the individuals that you can help to become better people. This metric will serve you well and you will almost certainly leave an enduring and lasting impact for generations to come.”

Each ceremony featured a student speaker: Joshua Hansen-Connell, ’24 MBA, for the graduate students and Callie Korth, ’24 BSB, for the undergraduates. Also at the undergraduate ceremony, Brynn Nguyen, ’24 BSB, received the 2024 Tomato Can Loving Cup Award, the most prestigious award the Carlson School of Management bestows on an undergraduate student.