December 05, 2014

State System universities schedule fall commencement ceremonies

Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu

Harrisburg – Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education universities will hold their fall commencement ceremonies the weekend of Dec. 12-14. Outstanding alumni and faculty are among the scheduled speakers who will address students, family and other guests who will attend the programs recognizing the new graduates.

A complete listing of the scheduled programs follows:

Bloomsburg – Craig A. Young, associate professor of teaching and learning, and Kuo-Hao “Howard” Lee, assistant professor of finance, will address undergraduates in separate ceremonies to be held Dec. 13 in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Young will speak at 10 a.m. to graduates in the colleges of Education and Liberal Arts while Lee will speak at 2:30 p.m. to those receiving their degrees from the College of Science and Technology.

Graduate degrees will be awarded in a ceremony scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., Dec. 12, also in Haas Center for the Arts.

California – President Emeritus Dr. John Pierce Watkins will be the speaker for both undergraduate and graduate ceremonies. Master’s degrees will be conferred at 7 p.m., Dec. 12. Bachelor’s and associate degrees will be awarded at 10 a.m., Dec. 13. Both ceremonies will be held in the Convocation Center. Dr. Watkins is a 1953 graduate of Cal U. and served as president from 1977 to 1992.

Clarion – Alumnus Tim Smith, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration/finance from the university in 2004, will speak to graduates at 1 p.m., Dec. 13, in Waldo S. Tippin Gymnasium. Smith is a data protection and availability specialist for EMC, a leading cloud computing, Big Data and IT solutions company with offices in 86 countries. He works with more than 50 community hospitals in Western Pennsylvania and Ohio. Clarion’s Vice President for Student Affairs Harry E. Tripp will receive the President’s Medallion.

East Stroudsburg – Dr. Mark Erickson, president of Northampton Community College, and student Erick Garcia, an economics and applied mathematics major from Stroudsburg, will address graduates at 9 a.m., Dec. 13, in Koehler Fieldhouse. State Rep. Steve Samuelson, ESU’s legislative fellow, also will make remarks.

Edinboro – Erie resident Betty Ferguson, a mediator for victims of violent crime whose award-winning work to promote forgiveness has earned her national recognition, will address graduates at separate morning and afternoon ceremonies on Dec. 13. The undergraduate ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. in McComb Fieldhouse while the graduate ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. in Louis C. Cole Auditorium – Memorial Hall. Mrs. Ferguson also will receive an honorary degree.

Indiana – Distinguished University Professor Krys Kaniasty will speak Dec. 13 at separate ceremonies for undergraduate and graduate degree recipients. The graduate ceremony will be held at 9:30 a.m. in Fisher Auditorium. The undergraduate program will begin at 1 p.m., in Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex. Morgan C. Chase of Dalton and Kurt R. Stridinger of Valencia, both students in the College of Fine Arts, also will speak during the undergraduate ceremony.

Kutztown – Communications studies professor Dr. Deryl Johnson will address graduates during the commencement program scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., Dec. 13, in O’Pake Field House.

Lock Haven – Alumnus Brian Smith, a systems engineer for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will speak to graduates at ceremonies scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., Dec. 13, in Thomas Field House.

Mansfield – Alumnus Steve Crawford, vice chair of the Mansfield University Council of Trustees, will speak at MU’s 150th Commencement at 1 p.m., Dec. 13. in Decker Gymnasium. Crawford is the managing vice president of S. R. Wojdak & Associates, a government relations firm in Harrisburg, and previously served as chief of staff to former Governor Ed Rendell.

Millersville – Maureen Powers, chief executive officer of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) of Lancaster who will retire at the end of the year after serving in the position for 27 years, will address graduates at 2 p.m., Dec. 14, in Pucillo Gymnasium. Prior to joining the YWCA staff, Powers was a city planner for the City of Lancaster and a teacher of early childhood education and Spanish.

Shippensburg – A pair of university alumni will address students receiving their degrees during ceremonies scheduled for Dec. 12 and 13. State Sen. Richard Alloway II (’93) will speak to undergraduates at 11 a.m., Dec. 13, in Heiges Field House. Charles H. Diller Jr. and G. Warrant Elliott will receive honorary degrees. Marni Jones (2010), director of learning skills and disability services and assistant dean of academic advising at Dickinson College will speak to students receiving graduate degrees at 7 p.m., Dec. 12, in the H. Rick Luhrs Performing Arts Center.

Slippery Rock – SRU will close out its year-long celebration of its 125th anniversary with commencement 11 a.m., Dec. 13, in Morrow Field House. No speaker is scheduled.

West Chester – Three WCU alumni will address graduates during separate ceremonies scheduled for Dec. 14 and 15 in Hollinger Field House.

James P. Capolupo, superintendent of the Springfield School District in Delaware County, will address those receiving their undergraduate degrees from the colleges of Business & Public Affairs, Education and Health Sciences at 10 a.m., Dec. 14. Capolupo was named the 2014 National Superintendent of the Year by the National Association of School Superintendents and the 2015 Pennsylvania Superintendent of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of School Superintendents.

Samuel C. Thompson, professor of law and director of the Center for the Study of Mergers and Acquisitions at the Penn State School of Law in State College, will address undergraduates in the colleges of Arts & Sciences and Visual & Performing Arts at 1:30 p.m., also on Dec. 14. A 1965 West Chester graduate, Thompson previously was the Dean of the University of Miami School of Law and a professor at the Schools of Law at UCLA, the University of Virginia and Northwestern University.

Christine Warren, director of client success for eBay Enterprises and a trustee on the WCU Foundation Board of Trustees, will address students receiving graduate degrees at 7 p.m., Dec. 15.

Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with about 110,000 students. The 14 State System universities offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study.

The universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The universities also operates branch campuses in Oil City (Clarion), Freeport and Punxsutawney (IUP) and Clearfield (Lock Haven), and offer classes and programs at several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and in Center City in Philadelphia.