SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Evangel University and its seminary will see 511 degrees conferred this spring at a joint graduation ceremony on Friday, May 3, 2019.
The 61st Annual Commencement ceremony for Evangel will be held at 9:30 a.m. in the James River Church auditorium in Ozark, Missouri.
The Assemblies of God Theological Seminary of Evangel University will celebrate its 46th Annual Commencement as a part of the same ceremony. The two schools were consolidated in 2013 and combined their graduations in 2018.
The speaker will be Dr. Greg Mundis, a 1999 Evangel graduate, “missionary kid,” and orthopedic surgeon specializing in spine deformity surgery. Mundis regularly performs spinal surgeries overseas, making it possible for children to have access to surgical procedures that are largely not available in their home countries.
According to Evangel’s president, Dr. Carol Taylor, Greg and his wife, Lesley, will leave for Colombia, South America, the day after commencement to join a team of surgical doctors who will give their time to this good work.
“Dr. Greg Mundis is a beautiful reflection of Evangel’s mission to educate and equip skilled servant leaders with a heart for service,” said Dr. Taylor. “As I think of celebrating another group of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral graduates this year, I can only imagine how they, too, will serve their communities and world.”
More than 4,000 family and friends from around the world will gather Friday to celebrate these students.
There will be 511 graduates earning 32 doctoral, 105 master’s, 323 bachelor’s and 51 associate’s degrees. The majority of the AA’s are from Evangel’s James River College campus.
The top five bachelor-level majors graduating from Evangel in 2019 are: Management, Psychology, Elementary Education, Church Ministries, Biology
The entire graduation ceremony will be live-streamed at https://www.evangel.edu/commencement/
Dr. Greg Mundis, surgeon
Dr. Greg Mundis is the son of Greg and Sandie Mundis of Springfield, Missouri.
“I felt called into medical missions as a junior in high school,” he said. In 2003, he was part of a group of Evangel University students who worked with Dr. Richard Honderick and the Healthcare Ministries team in Nicaragua for a week. “It was a great introduction to missions and made me realize that I wanted to pursue mission work that incorporated surgical care.”
Mundis received his medical degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and continued his training through an orthopaedic residency at Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City.
After completion of his residency, he was selected for a fellowship at the San Diego Spine Fellowship Program with the San Diego Center for Spinal Disorders in La Jolla, California.
Mundis treats all spine disorders and has focused his training to subspecialize in adult and pediatric spine deformity surgery as well as in cervical spine surgery.
He currently serves as the co-director of the San Diego Spine Fellowship Program and practices complex pediatric and adult spine surgery at Scripps Green Hospital and Rady Children’s Hospital. In addition, Mundis regularly presents his research at national and international physician meetings to help educate surgeons in minimally invasive spine surgery and advanced surgical techniques.
A passion for children in need
As the son of a Missionary family, Mundis has found his true passion to be serving children in need both locally in San Diego through First Start (a local non-profit), and internationally through various nonprofit organizations.
This passion has led him to serve and operate in numerous countries on five different continents including China, Cyprus, Kenya, Brazil, Mexico as well as in San Diego.
His most recent efforts have been in conjunction with Global Spine Outreach, who’s mission is to provide free medical care to children with complex spinal deformities around the world.
In 2011, Mundis was honored by the Evangel University Alumni Association as its Outstanding Young Alumnus given to those under the age of 36 who have made significant contributions within their chosen career field, church, community, state, nation, or to Evangel University.
Dr. Mundis and his wife, Lesley (Rye), are both 1999 graduates of Evangel University. They have four children: Emery, Greyson, Lincoln and Ainslee.
Evangel University, which includes AGTS, is a comprehensive Christian university committed to excellence in educating and equipping students to serve the church and society globally. Evangel serves more than 2,100 students from all 50 states and numerous foreign countries, offering 65 undergraduate majors and 17 master’s and doctoral degrees.
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WRITTEN BY: Mallory Johnson & Paul K. Logsdon