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Todd A. Diacon, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost of ÃÛÑ¿appUniversity, is the speaker for the Fall 2012 Commencement Ceremony at ÃÛÑ¿appUniversity at Stark. The commencement ceremony will take place on Friday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. The ticketed event will be held at Umstattd Performing Arts Hall, located on the Canton McKinley High School campus. More than 100 graduate candidates, receiving bachelor’s, master’s and associate degrees will participate in this semester’s commencement exercises.

Diacon is responsible for all aspects of Kent State’s academic enterprise, including the university’s seven Regional Campuses. Before his appointment at Kent State, Diacon served as the deputy chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He spent 21 years at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, serving as a tenured professor, department head and vice provost.

An author and historian of Brazil, Diacon’s book, Stringing Together a Nation, won the Warren Dean Prize for the best book published on the history of South America’s largest country. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kan., and his master's and doctoral degrees in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

For more information about ÃÛÑ¿appUniversity at Stark, visit .