Penn State Announces Spring Commencement Schedule May 12-14
April 18, 2000
University Park, Pa. – Penn State will hold 2000 spring commencement ceremonies at 23 campus locations the weekend of May 12-14 for 704 associate, 6,232 baccalaureate, and 1,243 graduate degree students – a total of 8,431 graduates systemwide, including 95 with medical degrees and 157 with juris doctorate degrees. A few locations may hold ceremonies at earlier or later dates.
At the University Park campus, 18 students will graduate with associate degrees, 5,195 with baccalaureate degrees, 727 with master's degrees and 187 with doctorates, for a total of 6,127 graduates. Each college at University Park will hold its own ceremony.
Honorary degree recipients at University Park are:
•Actress Jane Alexander, the former chair of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), will receive an honorary doctorate of fine arts from College of Arts and Architecture at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 13 in Eisenhower Auditorium.
•National Public Radio (NPR) correspondent Nina Totenberg will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the College of Communications at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 13, in Eisenhower Auditorium.
Other spring commencement speakers will include Wilson Moses, Penn State Professor of American history and author of "Afrotopia: The Roots of African American Popular History," and literary critic Robert D. Hume, Evan Pugh Professor of English at Penn State and author of works on English drama. Moses will speak at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 14, in Eisenhower Auditorium. Hume will speak at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 13, in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Commencement speakers, times and locations for University Park are:
Friday, May 12:
–3 p.m.: The ROTC commissioning ceremony in Schwab Auditorium. The student marshal will be Andrew Mack of Niagara Falls, N.Y., escorted by LTC William Haner Jr., professor of military science for Army ROTC.
–4:30 p.m.: Schreyer Honors College medals ceremony for graduating seniors in Eisenhower Auditorium.
–8 p.m.: The College of Education commencement ceremony in Eisenhower Auditorium. Arthur E. Wise, president of the National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education, will speak. Wise first came to national prominence with the 1968 publication of his book, "Rich Schools, Poor Schools: The Promise of Equal Educational Opportunity," in which he conceived the idea for school finance reform through the judicial system. Since then, 18 state supreme courts have ordered the equalization of state school finance systems. The student marshal will be Christina Hermann of State College, escorted by James F. Nolan, associate professor of education.
–8 p.m.: The College of Engineering commencement ceremony in the Bryce Jordan Center. Priscilla Guthrie, vice president of e-business for TRW, will speak. Since joining TRW in 1972, Guthrie has held a series of positions in general, program and technical management for the company. She earned a bachelor’s of science in electrical engineering from Penn State in 1971 and remains a strong supporter of engineering education at the University, including the Pennsylvania State Engineering Society and the dean’s advisory board for the Women in Engineering Program, which she once chaired. The student marshal will be Robert Iera of Pittsburgh, escorted by Timothy Simpson, assistant professor of mechanical engineering.
Saturday, May 13:
–9 a.m.: The Eberly College of Science commencement ceremony in the Bryce Jordan Center. The speaker is Gregory Geoffroy, vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Maryland and former dean of the Eberly College of Science. During his tenure at Penn State, Geoffroy implemented numerous initiatives that have strengthened the quality of instruction and research in the sciences at the University, including the establishment of a research and teaching program in organometallic chemistry. In 1991 he was elected a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The student marshal will be Geoffroy’s daughter, Janet Geoffroy of State College, escorted by Moses Chan, Evan Pugh Professor of Physics.
–9 a.m.: The College of Communications commencement ceremony in Eisenhower Auditorium. NPR correspondent Nina Totenberg will speak and receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Her coverage of the Supreme Court and legal affairs has won her widespread recognition. Her ground-breaking report about University of Oklahoma law professor Anita Hill's allegations of sexual harassment by Judge Clarence Thomas led the Senate Judicial Committee to re-open Thomas' Supreme Court confirmation hearings to consider Hill's charges. The student marshal will be Shannon Lynch of State College, escorted by Shyam Sethuraman, assistant professor of communications.
–11:30 a.m.: The College of Health and Human Development commencement ceremony in the Bryce Jordan Center. Nationally recognized economist Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, will speak. The Fund is a philanthropy engaged in independent research on health and social policy issues. Davis has served as deputy assistant secretary for health policy in the Department of Health and Human Services from 1977-1980 and was the first woman to head a U.S public health service agency. She assumed the presidency of the fund in 1995. The student marshal will be Amanda Beach of Curryville, escorted by Anne Corr, instructor of nutrition.
–11:30 a.m.: The College of Arts and Architecture commencement ceremony in Eisenhower Auditorium. Actress and former NEA president Jane Alexander will speak and receive an honorary doctorate in fine arts. She has appeared in 40 films – including "The Cider House Rules" and "Kramer Vs. Kramer" – as well as television programs and 100 plays. In 1993 she became the chair of the NEA at a time when the arts organization came under attack. Her leadership helped ensure that NEA would continue to operate. She stepped down from the agency in 1997 because she wanted to resume acting. The student marshal will be Anne Burridge of Wallingford, escorted by Susan Boardman, associate professor of music.
–3 p.m.: The College of the Liberal Arts commencement ceremony in the Bryce Jordan Center. Internationally renowned literary critic Robert Hume will speak. Hume, Evan Pugh Professor of English at Penn State, is widely recognized as the foremost living historian of Restoration and 18th century theater. He has rediscovered lost manuscripts, plays, and theater rosters of importance to scholars and has published numerous books and articles. The second volume of his book, "Italian Opera in Late Eighteenth Century London," is forthcoming from Oxford University Press. The student marshal will be Tod Hartman of State College, escorted by Catherine Wanner, senior lecturer of political science.
–3 p.m.: The College of Agricultural Sciences commencement ceremony in Eisenhower Auditorium. Diane Blanton, vice president at PNC Advisors and president of Network Energy Inc., will speak. Blanton joined PNC Advisors as vice president in institutional advancements in 1993 and has won top awards at PNC for achieving the highest revenue in new business in 1997 and 1998. In 1998, Blanton also assumed the position of president of Network Energy, a methane gas company that develops and maintains a gas collection system on a landfill and pipes the gas to a single industrial user. Blanton studied environmental resource management and earned her bachelor’s degree in general agriculture in 1979. The student marshal will be Jameson Walker of Guys Mills, escorted by Erskine Cash, professor of animal science.
–7 p.m.: The Smeal College of Business Administration commencement ceremony in the Bryce Jordan Center. Richard Zimmerman, retired chair and CEO of Hershey, will speak. Zimmerman received a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Penn State in 1953 and has remained active with the University. He served as president of the Alumni Association between 1982 to 1983 and was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 1987. Zimmerman also served two terms on the Board of Trustees between 1991 and 1997. The student marshal will be Peter Guazdauskas of Scranton, escorted by Robert Koehler, associate professor of accounting.
–7 p.m.: The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences commencement ceremony in Eisenhower Auditorium. G. David Golder, vice president of international production, Marathon Oil Company, will speak. Golder joined Marathon as an intern in 1966 and went on to serve in international management positions for the company. He serves on the alumni association’s board of directors for the college. Golder received his bachelor’s of science degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Penn State in 1969. The student marshal will be John Celenza of Erieville, N.Y., escorted by Lee Grenci, instructor of meteorology.
Sunday, May 14
–1 p.m.: The Graduate School commencement ceremony in Eisenhower Auditorium. Penn State professor Wilson Moses, a renowned African American historian, will speak. He has emerged as one of the country’s leading authorities on black nationalism and is also the author of "Afrotopia: The Roots of African American Popular Culture and History." Moses has, by the breadth and soundness of his research, helped reorient the scholarly debate concerning the seemingly divergent currents of black nationalism and assimilationism. In 1995 Moses received Penn State’s Faculty Scholar Medal for outstanding achievement in the arts and humanities.
**klt**
Contact: Karen Trimbath at (814) 865-7517 or at
