Missouri Valley College (MVC) will confer 218 degrees to students at its commencement ceremony at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 6 at Gregg-Mitchell Field on the MVC campus. The class of 2023 consists of 200 undergraduates and 18 students graduating from the College’s graduate programs.

MVC alumnus Bobby Lashley, a successful businessman and entertainer, will give the commencement address.

Lashley, a veteran of the armed forces, has been in five motion pictures and three television shows and video games. His business ventures include nutrition stores, a gymnasium, and social media outlets.

He is a world-class wrestler and an NAIA Hall of Famer who as a scholar-athlete won three national championships at Missouri Valley College before graduating in 1999 with a degree in human service agency management and recreation administration.

Lashley became a professional wrestler in 2005, and pivoted to mixed martial arts in 2008. He was a world heavyweight champion four times, and won the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) championship twice.

During the 2022 NAIA Men’s Wrestling Championships, Lashley was a special guest to commemorate 25 years since he had won his second national title and MVC’s team championship. This year, he was back at the NAIA championships as an inductee into the NAIA Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Lashley will be presented with an honorary doctorate.

Elizabeth Bellamy, vice president of academic affairs, will present two students with the Charles L. Bacon Distinguished Service Award. The awards are given annually to a senior man and woman. The awards are voted on by the senior class.

The College will livestream the commencement ceremony on the Viking Sports Network. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved to the Burns Athletic Center.