The SIU Simmons Law School commencement ceremony will honor 71 graduates in the Class of 2025.
SIU Board of Trustees member, donor, and Alton Attorney John Simmons, will deliver the keynote address. Simmons founded Simmons-Hanly-Conroy, one of the nation's largest law firms, in 1999.
Amber M. Alexander, a Marion High School graduate, was elected class speaker. She graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Illinois, Chicago. She was inspired to pursue a legal career to become a stronger advocate for children and families in crisis, spending 8 years in child services.
Peter Alexander, a Professor of Law and former dean, will be the faculty speaker. He is retiring after 13 years at SIU. He was a dean from 2003 to 2009, a professor of law from 2009 to 2012, and returned as a visiting professor in 2021. He became a professor again in 2023.
The ceremony marks the 49th anniversary of the law school's first graduating class in 1976, three years after it was founded.
The commencement ceremony is set for Friday, May 9, at 1 p.m. in Shyrock Auditorium.
