Approximately 420 students are eligible to participate in Coastal's fall commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13 at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. The public is welcome to attend.

Gregory L. Krippel, associate professor of accounting, finance and economics, will be the commencement speaker.

Krippel was named the Distinguished Teacher of the Year for 2003, an annual honor presented by Coastal's Student Government Association to faculty who demonstrate excellence in teaching. He earned his Ph.D. from Florida State University in empirical financial research and was previously an assistant professor of accountancy at Auburn University before joining the Coastal faculty.

Krippel is the incoming president of the S.C. Association of Accounting Educators and will host the 2004 meeting in Myrtle Beach. He is a member of the Accounting Information Systems Educators Association Board of Directors and vice president of the local chapter of Institute of Management Accountants.

Retiring English professor Glenda Sweet will also be recognized. She was recently named professor emeritus by the Board of Trustees.