The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will posthumously award a business degree to a student who died of cancer in August 2018, the university announced last week.
The commencement ceremony in which the degree will be awarded takes place Saturday at the Jack Stephens Center.
Tandie Kenser, a 51-year-old Benton resident, was 23 credit hours short of completing her bachelor's degree in business analytics, according to the university's announcement. Her mother, Gennie Adair, will travel from her home in Vancouver, British Columbia, to receive her daughter's degree, the announcement states.
Kenser had a 4.0 grade-point average through 90 credit hours and was an ambassador for the university's College of Business, according to the announcement. She also led study sessions for classmates.
Kenser was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in 2011 and decided to finish her college degree, which, according to the university, she was unable to do and was her only regret in life. She was taking two summer classes when she entered hospice in June and continued her work while she was there, her mother told the university.
Adair started a scholarship in Kenser's name last year. It's for nontraditional students in the business college.