University News
Spring Commencements; May 13-14 Macomb; May 15 Quad Cities
May 10, 2011
See College, Departmental, Honors Scholars
MACOMB, IL – Ceremonies recognizing the academic and personal accomplishments of Western Illinois University students and alumni will be held Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14 at the Macomb campus and Sunday, May 15 in the Quad Cities during Western Illinois' Spring 2011 Commencement Weekend.
More than 2,600 students are eligible to participate in the undergraduate and graduate Commencement Ceremonies in Macomb and the Quad Cities. Nearly 480 graduate-level students are eligible to participate in the Friday (May 13) ceremony in Macomb, including three of the seven candidates who will be graduating with a doctorate in educational leadership (Ed.D) degree. The doctoral graduates who will march in the Macomb ceremony are: Chester Griffith Lien (Macomb, IL), Dean Michael Langdon (Lincoln, IL) and Kent H. Young (Hamilton, IL).
Three educational leadership doctoral candidates will also march in the Quad Cities ceremony on May 15. They are: Trampus T. Budde (Bettendorf, IA), Kim Patrick Huckstadt (Maquoketa, IA) and Sarah Ann Willey (Dixon, IL). Debra K. Dimke (Rickford, IL), also receiving an Ed.D., is unable to attend either ceremony.
Approximately 1,860 students -- including some 170 adults who will earn the Bachelor of Arts in General Studies (BGS) degree -- are eligible to participate in the undergraduate ceremonies May 14 in Macomb and May 15 in the Quad Cities. The BGS degree is a unique program that provides students an opportunity to earn a regionally accredited undergraduate degree online – in a way that fits their educational needs and lifestyles.
Commencement Protocol
Western Illinois University President Al Goldfarb will present his final address to all graduating classes and confer degrees. Goldfarb will retire June 30, after nine years as Western's 10th president. Provost and Academic Vice President Jack Thomas, who is Western's incoming 11th president, will host each ceremony. Members of Western's Board of Trustees and the Alumni Association will participate; and 2011 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer J. Q. Adams, an educational psychology professor in the Department of Educational and Interdisciplinary Studies, will be recognized at each ceremony. (See Feb. 4, 2011 release.)
Three individuals will receive a Distinguished Alumni Award. They are Bill Bund, senior vice president and managing director for the Central Sales Division of the ABC Television Network, Chicago; Dave Lumley, CEO and president of Spectrum Brands, Madison, WI; and Gordon "Gordy" A. Taylor, Jr., former associate vice president of alumni programs at WIU, Macomb. Bund and Lumley will be recognized at the 9 a.m. ceremony, while Taylor will be recognized at the 1 p.m. ceremony.
The Distinguished Alumni Award, given since 1973, recognizes alumni who have reached the pinnacle of their careers and have brought credit to the University and themselves through their professional accomplishments or community service at local, state or national levels and have extended meritorious service for the advancement and continued excellence of WIU.
Macomb Honors, Commissioning and Commencement Ceremonies
Events scheduled for Friday, May 13 include the following:
- The 2 p.m. Academic Honors Convocation is in Western Hall, where College, Honors and Departmental Scholars and students with academic distinction based on grade point average (GPA) receive a medallion for each academic honor. Graduating senior Lily Anna Blouin (Anchorage, AK), the Musical Theatre Departmental Scholar and an Honors Scholar, is the Convocation speaker.
- The 4 p.m. Military Science department Army ROTC Commissioning to 2nd Lt. ceremony is in the University Union Heritage Room.
- The 5:30 p.m. Graduate Hooding and Commencement Ceremony is in Western Hall.
Saturday, May 14 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremonies in Western Hall
- The 9 a.m. ceremony will recognize graduates in the College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC) and the College of Business and Technology (CBT). Distinguished Alumni Awards will be presented to Bill Bund and Dave Lumley, both 1976 graduates in broadcasting.
Bund is the senior vice president and managing director for ABC Television Network in Chicago. Bund is a member of the WIU President's National Advisory Council and recently received the Broadcasting Department's Alumnus of the Year Award in 2009. He is a supporter of many areas of the University, including athletics, the broadcasting department and the Alumni Association.
Lumley has been the CEO and president of Spectrum Brands, a global consumer products company and a leading supplier of various home and garden supplies, since 2006. Lumley serves on the President's National Advisory Council and has served as a member of the CBT Advisory Council. He received the WIU Alumni Association Alumni Achievement Award in 1990 and supports many areas of the University, including the broadcasting department, athletics and the Alumni Association.
Marshals, who are graduating seniors selected from the top seniors in their academic disciplines, guide the graduating class and stage party from the processional through the recessional. They are: Blouin, the Convocation speaker, Musical Theatre Departmental Scholar and Honors Scholar; Kaitlin Victoria Delaney (Jacksonville, IL), the College of Business and Technology Scholar and Human Resource Management Departmental Scholar; Erin Marie Downs (Rushville, IL), the Communication Science and Disorders Departmental Scholar; Kristin Kulasik (Lemont, IL), the Communication Departmental Scholar and Honors Scholar; Chelsea Rose Maroney (Arlington Heights, IL), the Bachelor of Music Departmental Scholar; Karissa Leree Munger (Machesney Park, IL), the Economics (B.B.) Departmental Scholar; Bradley S. Powell (St. Augustine, IL), a Computer Science major; and Meghan Danielle Vance (Crystal Lake, IL), a Management major.
- The 1 p.m. ceremony will recognize graduates in the College of Education and Human Services (COEHS), as well as the third Distinguished Alumni recipient, Gordon A. Taylor. Taylor is a 1968 management graduate who served as director of Western's alumni program for 28 years, before retiring in January 2006. He earned his MBA in management from the University of Florida in 1970 and a Ph.D. in management in 1980 from Florida. Taylor came to Western in 1970 as an assistant professor of management and taught until 1978 when he was named director of alumni programs. He received the Alumni Achievement Award in 1984 and was awarded the Macomb Area Chamber of Commerce President's Award in 1998. In 2005, he received the WIU Administrative Service Award for his contributions to the University and his profession and was named Macomb Citizen of the Year in 2006. (See April 20, 2011 news release.)
Marshals for the 1 p.m. ceremony are: Wyatt Dale Baxter (Tennessee, IL), the Emergency Management Departmental Scholar; Jeremy Paul Boudreaux (Lima, IL), a Social Work major; Carlo Joseph Daniels (Macomb, IL), the Instructional Design and Technology Departmental Scholar; Beckie Anne Laye (Cherry Valley, IL), Special Education Honors Scholar; Casie Arlene Markum (East Peoria, IL), an Elementary Education major; Ashley Lynn Sinkewich (Frankfort, IL), the Law Enforcement and Justice Administration Departmental Scholar; Jacob R. Ward (Macon, IL), a Law Enforcement and Justice Administration Honors Scholar; and Michael Joseph Weiman (Fowler, IL), the Exercise Science Departmental Scholar and Honors Scholar.
- The 4:30 p.m. ceremonies will recognize candidates for graduation in the Bachelor of Arts in General Studies (formerly the Board of Trustees – Bachelor of Arts Degree Program – BOT/BA), the Interdisciplinary Studies Program and the College of Arts and Sciences.
Marshals are: Adam Wayne Brown (Oakford, IL), an English Honors Scholar; Martin Lee Buck, Jr. (Silvis, IL), the Meteorology Departmental Scholar; Melissa Sue Burgett (Macomb, IL), a Religious Studies major; Lindsay Jane Henderson (Pontiac, IL), a Mathematics major and an Honors Scholar; Caitlin C. Henry (Joliet, IL), a Psychology major and an Honors Scholar; Jennifer R. Leonhard (Rushville, IL), a Psychology major; Nicole Maila (Palatine, IL), the Mathematics Departmental Scholar and an Honors Scholar; and Adam Tyler Miller (Macomb, IL), the Religious Studies Departmental Scholar and an Honors Scholar.
Quad Cities Ceremonies – Sunday, May 15
At the i wireless Center, 1201 River Drive, Moline
- The Academic Honors Convocation is scheduled for noon in the i wireless center.
- The 1 p.m. ceremony is a combined Graduate and Undergraduate Commencement.
Marshals for the Quad Cities ceremonies are: Lindsey Garrison (Davenport, IA), an alumnus and current graduate student; Rebecca Israel (Oregon, IL) an Elementary Education major; Alaine Jackson (Moline, IL) a Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration major); Chad Rosenow (Mineral, IL), a Master of Business Administration student; Elisabeth Ross (Coal Valley, IL), an elementary education major; and Jennifer Westphal (Maquoketa, IA), an elementary education major.
Western's Brass Ensemble, under the direction of School of Music Professor Randall Faust, will play at the Quad Cities ceremony. Members include: Marisa Delay (Springfield, IL, freshman, Music Education) and Tyler Montgomery (Naperville, IL, junior, Music Education), trumpet; Robert Palmer (East Moline, graduate music composition student), horn; Kimberly Truemper (Naperville, IL, sophomore, music major/music therapy) tuba; and Dwight Wyeth (Yorkville, IL, senior, Music Education), trombone.
Flags: The flags of 30 nations represented by the Spring 2011 graduating class will be displayed on the stage. Sponsored by Western's Center for International Studies, the flags represent the following countries: Australia, Burkina Faso, Canada, China, Ethiopia, France, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Mali, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sudan, Sweden, Taiwan, Togo, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America and Uzbekistan. WIU was home to students from 67 countries during the Spring 2011 semester.
Gonfalons and Gonfaloniers: Gonfalons, which are banners hung from a crossbar on poles, made their inaugural appearance in the Fall 2009 Commencement ceremonies. Western Illinois University gonfalons are for the School of Graduate Studies, as well as for each of the four academic colleges: Arts and Sciences (white); Business and Technology (royal blue); Education and Human Services (UN blue); and Fine Arts and Communication (spice brown). Those who are chosen to carry the gonfalons are called gonfaloniers. This honor has been awarded to the following faculty members:
At WIU-Macomb:
James West, associate professor of instructional design and technology in the College of Education and Human Services, for WIU;
Jennifer McNabb, associate professor of history in the College of Arts and Sciences for the School of Graduate Studies;
Christopher Pynes, associate professor of philosophy and religious studies in the College of Arts and Sciences;
In Lee, professor of computer science in the College of Business and Technology;
Pamela Godt, professor of curriculum and instruction in the College of Education and Human Services; and
Randall Faust, professor of music in the College of Fine Arts and Communication.
At WIU-QC:
Kristi Mindrup, assistant vice president for Quad Cities and planning, WIU banner;
Jennifer McNabb, associate professor of history and chair of the Graduate Council;
Susan Romano, assistant professor of biological science in the College of Arts and Sciences;
Ann Walsh, professor of management and marketing in the College of Business and Technology;
Carrie Alexander-Albritton, assistant professor of counselor education in the College of Education and Human Services; and
Mary Hogg, associate professor of communication in the College of Fine Arts and Communication.
Live Broadcast/Web Stream
Western's University Television (UTV) will broadcast the Academic Honors Convocation and all Macomb Commencement ceremonies live on Macomb's Cable Channel 3. The Macomb ceremonies will also be streamed live on the web. A link to the web broadcast will be available from Western's homepage at wiu.edu during the time of the ceremonies.
DVDs and Photos
DVDs of the Macomb and Quad Cities ceremonies may be purchased through UTV, telephone (309) 298-1880. Photographs of each graduate will be taken as they receive their diploma cover. Proof sheets will be mailed from Western's Visual Production Center to each graduate, with instructions for ordering photos.
Open Ceremonies; ADA Requests
Ceremonies are open to family and friends of the graduates. Tickets are not required; seating is on a first-come basis. Doors open 90 minutes before each ceremony. An interpreter will sign each ceremony. Individuals needing special accommodations for the Macomb ceremonies should contact Western's Equal Opportunity and Access Office, telephone (309) 298-1977. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
Individuals needing special accommodations for the Quad Cities ceremony should contact Chris Brown at WIU-Quad Cities, (309) 762-9481, ext. 62-287 or MC-Brown2@wiu.edu. Office hours are 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays.
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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