Shirley Townsend, of Farmville, recently earned her Bachelors of Science in Nursing degree from Western Governors University (WGU).

The university held its 31st semi-annual commencement ceremony in Salt Lake City on July 16 and celebrated the graduation of more than 8,000 graduates. At its commencement, the university awarded 4,944 undergraduate and 3,103 graduate degrees in business, information technology, K-12 teacher education and healthcare professions, including nursing.