University News
Fall 2005 Commencement Activities December 16-17 in Macomb
December 6, 2005
College, Departmental, Honors Scholars
Alumni Achievement Award Recipients
Information for Graduates/Families
MACOMB, IL - - Ceremonies recognizing the academic and personal accomplishments of Western Illinois University students and alumni will be held Friday and Saturday, Dec. 16-17 in Macomb during WesternÂ’s Fall 2005 Commencement weekend.
Some 900 undergraduate students and 200 graduate students who will have completed degree requirements are eligible to be recognized in Commencement activities. Undergraduate academic majors with the most graduates include elementary education (82 students), the Board of Trustees Bachelor of Arts individualized degree program (80), law enforcement and justice administration (78), recreation, park and tourism administration (68), communication (47) and management (43).
Additionally, Western will present Alumni Achievement Awards to six graduates during the Dec. 17 ceremonies.
WIU-Quad Cities students who are scheduled to graduate can participate in the December ceremonies in Macomb or in the May 2006 ceremonies in Macomb or the Quad Cities. Graduates will be honored informally at the Quad Cities campus during finals week.
Western Illinois Provost and Academic Vice President Joseph Rallo will lead each Commencement ceremony, and President Al Goldfarb will confer degrees and make remarks to the graduating classes. Trustees Michael Houston (Springfield, IL), Lorraine Epperson (Macomb, IL), Carolyn Ehlert (Milan, IL) and Christopher Thomas (Macomb, IL) will represent Western IllinoisÂ’ Board of Trustees at the ceremonies; and Board Chair Houston will offer remarks at each ceremony. Alumni Council President Martin Green, (1987) will offer closing remarks at each Commencement ceremony and welcome the graduates into WesternÂ’s registry of more than 93,000 alumni.
Friday, Dec 16 ceremonies will begin at 2 p.m. in Western Hall with the Academic Honors Convocation, which recognizes undergraduates achieving academic distinction during the completion of their degrees. Medallions will be awarded to Honors scholars, departmental and college scholars, and to scholars achieving cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude status.
WIUÂ’s military science department will conduct Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) Commissioning at 4 p.m. Friday in the University Union Heritage Room. At 5:30 p.m. Western Hall will be the site of Graduate Commencement Exercises, recognizing students completing masterÂ’s and education specialist degrees.
Two Commencement ceremonies for undergraduate students will be held Saturday, Dec. 17 in Western Hall.
The 9:30 a.m. ceremony will recognize candidates for graduation in the Board of Trustees Bachelor of Arts degree program, the Interdisciplinary Studies program, the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Business and Technology. During the ceremony Alumni Achievement Awards will be presented to Daniel Cheever (1986 marketing graduate), an aide-de-camp for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, D.C.; Abraham Thompson, Jr. (1974 psychology graduate), president of Focus Radio, Inc. in South Bend, IN; and David Viar (1968 economics graduate), the president of American River College in Sacramento, CA.
The 1 p.m. ceremony will recognize graduating students in the College of Education and Human Services and the College of Fine Arts and Communication. Alumni Achievement Awards will be presented to Stephen McLaughlin (1970 psychology bachelorÂ’s degree graduate and 1971 college student personnel masterÂ’s degree graduate), the associate vice chancellor for student services and dean of students at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside; Gayle Spencer (1987 college student personnel masterÂ’s degree graduate), assistant dean of student life at Kansas State University; and Roger Warren (1972 physical education graduate), the president of Kiawah Golf Resort, Kiawah Island, SC and president of the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) of America.
WesternÂ’s Alumni Achievement Award is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to any of the following: exceptional accomplishment of oneÂ’s chosen field of endeavor; exceptional service in community affairs at the local, state or national levels; and exceptional service in support of advancement and continued excellence of WIU.
WesternÂ’s University Television services will broadcast the Academic Honors Convocation and all Commencement ceremonies live on MacombÂ’s Cable Channel 3 and stream the ceremonies on the web. A link to the web broadcast will be available from WesternÂ’s homepage at www.wiu.edu during the time of the ceremonies.
DVDs and tapes of the ceremonies may be ordered through University Television, telephone 309/298-1880.
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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