ProfNet Roundup: 2013 Commencement Speakers

NEW YORK, May 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- With the 2013 commencement season upon us, following is a list of speakers who will be addressing graduates at universities and colleges that are part of the ProfNet network.

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2013 COMMENCEMENT SPEAKERS

May 9

Richland College, Dallas
Keynote speaker: Dr. Sam Tinsley, professor of developmental mathematics, who is the college's 2013 Fulltime Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award recipient. The ceremony will take place Thursday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the Curtis Culwell Center, 4999 Naaman Forest Blvd. in Garland. Richland College is one of the seven colleges in the Dallas County Community College District.
Media Contact: Ann Hatch, [e-mail]

May 10

Campbell Law School, Raleigh, N.C.
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory will address graduates on Friday, May 10, at 10 a.m. A native of Guilford County, McCrory attended Catawba College and earned degrees in education and political science. Upon graduation, he worked for Duke Energy before winning an at-large seat on the Charlotte City Council in 1989. McCrory then went on to win two more elections to the council in 1991 and 1993, serving as mayor pro tem from 1993 to 1995. In 1995 he was elected mayor of Charlotte, a role in which he served for a record 14 years until 2009. McCrory assumed office as the 74th governor of North Carolina on Jan. 5.
Media Contact: Erin Smith, [e-mail]

Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, Conn.
Juanita James, president and CEO of Fairfield County Community Foundation, will speak at the graduate commencement, Friday, May 10, at Feldman Arena, O'Neill Center, WCSU Westside campus. James has led change and transformation initiatives in the not-for-profit sector with the same zeal and success that she brings to her professional life. Former nonprofit board services includes: director of Reading is Fundamental and development committee chair, board president of the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, director of the Stamford Symphony and secretary of the board of the Ferguson Library in Stamford. (See below for info on the undergraduate commencement on Sunday, May 12.)
Media Contact: Paul Steinmetz, [e-mail]

May 11

Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, Pa.
Donald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., will address graduates at 2 p.m. at the Robert S. Carey Student Center.
Website: http://www.stvincent.edu
Media Contact: Don Orlando, [e-mail]

Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Ga.
Soledad O'Brien, a CNN special correspondent, will deliver the commencement address on May 11 at 9:30 a.m. at Presser Quadrangle. A critically acclaimed journalist, O'Brien has reported on breaking news from around the globe. In 2011, she won an Emmy for Crisis in Haiti in the category of Outstanding Live Coverage of a Current News Story Long Form. O'Brien was part of the coverage teams that earned CNN a George Foster Peabody award for its BP oil spill and Katrina coverage and an Alfred I. duPont Award for its coverage of the Southeast Asia tsunami. She recently entered into a unique production and distribution agreement with the network to produce long-form programming specials through her company, Starfish Media Group. Launching in June, the 360 media production company and distributor will be dedicated to uncovering and producing empowering stories that take a challenging look at often divisive issues of race, class, wealth, opportunity, poverty and personal stories.
Media Contact: Megan Terraso, [e-mail]

Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia
The commencement speaker for Chestnut Hill College is Mary Louise Quinlan, M.B.A., New York Times bestselling author of "The God Box: Sharing My Mother's Gift of Faith, Love, and Letting Go" (Greenleaf Books, 2012). Quinlan has built a national reputation as an author, marketer, and speaker, advocating for women through her work. She is best known for her marketing company Just Ask a Woman, which helps companies understand the buying habits of women. Considered the nation's leading expert on female consumer behavior, Quinlan has appeared on television programs such as "The Early Show," "Good Morning America," and the "Today" show. She has been profiled in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. The outdoor ceremony is on Saturday, May 11, on campus.
Website: http://www.chc.edu
Media Contact: Lisa Mixon, [e-mail]

Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pa.
Melanne S. Verveer, who served as the first ambassador-at-large for women's issues in the U.S. Department of State and as chief of staff during Hillary Clinton's tenure as First Lady of the United States, will deliver the keynote address. Verveer recently became executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security at Georgetown University. President Obama appointed Verveer as ambassador in 2009 in recognition of her service as co-founder and chairwoman of the board of the Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international nongovernmental organization that supports global women's leadership. Commencement begins at 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 11, at Hartman Green on campus. The rain location is the Alumni Sports & Fitness Center off Harrisburg Avenue.Members of the media who plan to attend the commencement ceremony must RSVP by May 9. Journalists will be given a media badge in advance of the event that must be worn during the ceremony and other activities. Photography and recording of portions of the ceremony is allowed for news purposes. Special arrangements must be made in advance to accommodate broadcast equipment.
More info: http://tinyurl.com/bq5nnw7
Media Contact: Julia Ferrante, [e-mail]

William Peace University, Raleigh, N.C.
Erskine Bowles will deliver the keynote on Saturday, May 11. With a longstanding career in higher education and politics, Bowles has served as the president of the University of North Carolina, as well as the White House Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton. In 2010 he was appointed as the Democratic co-chair of President Barack Obama's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, alongside former Republican Sen. Alan K. Simpson. Much of his focus during his appointment was co-leading a business group with Simpson, known as The Campaign to Fix the Debt, to address the U.S. debt crisis. Outside of his political responsibilities, Bowles is committed to public service. Nationally, he coordinated the federal response to the Oklahoma City bombing and joined the United Nations as deputy special envoy in the global response to the Southeast Asia tsunami. Equally involved on the statewide level, Bowles has served as the chairman of the N.C. Rural Prosperity Task Force, where he developed a platform to bring economic development to rural communities of North Carolina.
Media Contact: Jennifer Fair, [e-mail]

North Lake College, Irving, Texas
Keynote speaker: Dr. Darryl E. Howard, visiting scholar in religion, department of liberal arts. Student speaker: Diana Noka. The ceremony will take place Saturday, May 11, at 10 a.m. at the Irving Convention Center, 500 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Irving. North Lake College is one of the seven colleges in the Dallas County Community College District.
Media Contact: Ann Hatch, [e-mail]

Eastfield College, Mesquite, Texas
Keynote speaker: Dr. Gerald Hudson, Lakeview Centennial High School principal, Garland Independent School District, and former Eastfield College student. The ceremony will take place May 11 at 4:30 p.m. at the Curtis Culwell Center, 4999 Naaman Forest Blvd. in Garland. Eastfield College is one of the seven colleges in the Dallas County Community College District.
Media Contact: Ann Hatch, [e-mail]

College of Saint Rose, Albany, N.Y.
Honorary degrees: 1) James Sandman, president of the Legal Services Corp., headquartered in Washington; 2) J. Spencer and Patricia Hunter Standish, philanthropists. Commencement will take place Saturday, May 11, at 10 a.m., at Times Union Center, 51 South Pearl St., Albany, N.Y. Nearly 1,600 students will receive degrees and certificates of advanced study. Also, the college will bestow the Carondelet Medal, its highest honor, on the Most Rev. Howard J. Hubbard for his 36 years of service as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany and his dedication to interfaith dialogue and understanding.
Media Contact: Benjamin Marvin, [e-mail]

May 12

Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, Conn.
Patricia Llodra, first selectman, Newtown, Conn.; and Janet Robinson, superintendent of schools, Newtown, Conn., will speak at the undergraduate commencement, Sunday, May 12, Westside Athletic Complex, WCSU Westside campus. As leaders in the community, Llodra and Robinson faced unprecedented challenges after 26 people, many of them children, were gunned down in a December shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Taking charge of their grieving town, the women consoled residents, listened to victims' families and reached out to political leaders for help. They took their positions among senators and governors in advocating for political responses to the tragedy.
Media Contact: Sherri Hill, [e-mail]

College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Va.
Robert Mueller, director, FBI, will address graduates on Sunday, May 12, at noon, at William & Mary Hall, College of William & Mary campus. Mueller is the longest-serving director of the FBI since J. Edgar Hoover. He was nominated to the FBI director post in 2001 by President George W. Bush; that appointment was extended by President Obama in 2011. During his career, Mueller has served both as a private litigator and in several capacities in the U.S. Attorney General's office and is a former U.S. Marine officer.
Media Contact: Suzanne Seurattan, [e-mail]

Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio
Undergraduate commencement: May 12, 1:30 p.m., ONU Sports Center: Robert Manning, Mars Exploration Program chief engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. Since 2004, Manning has been responsible for ensuring the success of current and future missions to Mars. In early 2008, he was named the chief engineer for the Mars Science Laboratory mission that successfully landed the rover Curiosity on the Martian surface in August 2012. Prior to these roles, Manning led the spacecraft systems engineering team for the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) project, which landed the twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity on the surface of Mars in early 2004. (See May 19 for details on law commencement.)
Event Details: http://www.onu.edu/features/49405
Media Contact: Mary A. Wilkin, [e-mail]

May 14

Eastern Connecticut State University, Hartford, Conn.
Carlotta Walls LaNier, youngest member of the "Little Rock Nine," a group of African-American students who desegregated Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., in 1957, will deliver the keynote address at Eastern Connecticut State University's 123rd Commencement, at 6 p.m. on May 14 at the XL Center in Hartford. During the ceremony, 1,256 undergraduates and 41 graduate students will receive their diplomas. LaNier was the first African-American female to graduate from Central High School. She continued her education at Colorado State College (now the University of Northern Colorado), graduating in 1968. After college, she began working at the YWCA as a program administrator for teens. In 1977, she founded LaNier and Company, a real estate brokerage company, where she has worked as a professional real estate broker for more than 30 years. She is an active supporter in her community, serving on the board of trustees for the University of Northern Colorado and Iliff School of Theology. LaNier also serves as president of the Little Rock Nine Foundation, and is a member of the Denver Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, and the Johnson Legacy, Inc. board of directors. LaNier has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the prestigious Spingarn Medal from the NAACP in 1958, and the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation's highest civilian award, which was bestowed upon the Little Rock Nine in 1999 by President Bill Clinton. She is also the author of "A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice of Little Rock Central High School." At the ceremony, LaNier will also be awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa.
More info: http://tinyurl.com/bm8subh
Media Contact: Ed Osborn, [e-mail]

May 16

Brookhaven College, Farmers Branch, Texas
Commencement speaker: Dr. Claire Bambrough, chemistry professor and DCCCD Citi STEM Faculty Fellow. The ceremony will take place Thursday, May 16, at 7 p.m. at the Alfred J. Loos Field House, 3815 Spring Valley Rd. in Addison. Brookhaven College is one of the seven colleges in the Dallas County Community College District.
Media Contact: Ann Hatch, [e-mail]

Cedar Valley College, Lancaster, Texas
Commencement speaker: Roland S. Martin, journalist, syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate, commentator for TV One and host of "Washington Week with Roland Martin." The ceremony will take place Thursday, May 16, at 7 p.m. at the Inspiring Body of Christ Church, 7701 S. Westmoreland Rd., Dallas. Cedar Valley College is one of the seven colleges in the Dallas County Community College District.
Media Contact: Ann Hatch, [e-mail]

Mountain View College, Dallas
Commencement speaker: Dr. Wright Lassiter Jr., chancellor, Dallas County Community College District. The ceremony will take place Thursday, May 16, at 7 p.m. at the Jesse Owens Complex/Ellis Field House, 9191 S. Polk St. in Dallas. Mountain View College is one of the seven colleges in the Dallas County Community College District.
Media Contact: Ann Hatch, [e-mail]

May 17

University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
-- College of Law: Friday, May 17, 1 p.m., Iowa Memorial Union Main Lounge: former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), a law school graduate.
--College of Business MBA, Friday May 17, 10 a.m., Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, Coralville, Iowa: Rogelio Rebolledo, MBA alumnus and former international executive with Frito-Lay and Pepsi Bottling.
(See May 18 for additional speakers.)
Media Contact: Lin Larson, [e-mail]

Fort Worth Country Day School, Fort Worth, Texas
U.S. Congresswoman Kay Granger will address graduates on Friday, May 17, 7 p.m., at McKinney Memorial Bible Church, 4805 Arborlawn Drive, in Fort Worth. A former teacher, small-business owner and mayor of Fort Worth, Granger was first elected to represent the 12th congressional district of Texas in 1997. As a senior member of the powerful Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, she has continually strengthened the 12th District's contribution to America's defense system and supported efforts to provide for our women and men in uniform -- both on the battlefield and when they return home from combat. As the top Republican on the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, she has worked to increase global stability and security, as well enrich the lives of millions in the developing world through efforts that center on bettering global health, improving the lives of women and teaching emerging democracies how to sustain newly discovered freedoms. She is also a Majority Deputy Whip and serves on the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.
Media Contact: Karen Berlin Cooperstein, [e-mail]

May 18

Creighton University, Omaha, Neb.
Creighton has two commencement ceremonies (morning health science schools and afternoon undergraduate School of Law and Graduate School) on Saturday, May 18, at the CenturyLink Omaha. Mary Lou Quinlan, CEO of Just Ask a Woman and author of "The God Box: Sharing My Mother's Gift of Faith, Love and Letting Go," will speak at 1 p.m. and receive an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters. Quinlan is an internationally known marketing executive, best-selling author, actress and speaker. She is the CEO of the leading women's marketing agency in the United States. Her latest book, "The God Box: Sharing My Mother's Gift of Faith, Love and Letting Go," in which she shares her family's personal story with cancer, became a New York Times bestseller in just three weeks.
Website: http://www.creighton.edu/
Media Contact: Deborah Daley, [e-mail]

Washington & Jefferson College, Washington, Pa.
Two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback and Pittsburgh native Charlie Batch will deliver the keynote address at Washington & Jefferson College's 214th Commencement ceremony, May 18 at 10 a.m. on the lawn in front of the Olin Fine Arts Center on Wheeling Street. Batch will receive an honorary degree, as will Bernard Harris Jr., retired NASA astronaut and the first African American to walk in space; James E. Rohr, executive chairman of PNC Financial Services Group, the nation's seventh-largest bank, with more than 5 million customers and 56,000 employees; and Rabbi Serena Fujita, Jewish chaplain at Bucknell University. Fujita will be the keynote speaker at the Baccalaureate service May 17 at 6 p.m. in Church of the Covenant on East Beau Street in Washington, Pa.
Media Contact: Robert Reid, [e-mail]

Warren Wilson College, Asheville, N.C.
Joseph Bathanti, 1991 graduate of Warren Wilson College's MFA Program for Writers, will give the main address at the Commencement for bachelor's degree recipients, May 18 at 10 a.m. at Sunderland Lawn. Bathanti, a resident of Vilas, N.C., is an award-winning poet, professor and literacy advocate. He was formally installed as North Carolina's seventh Poet Laureate in September 2012. Among Bathanti's published works are two novels, a short story collection and several books of poetry. He is a professor of creative writing at Appalachian State University, where he also is director of writing in the field and writer-in-residence in the university's Watauga Global Community. He has taught writing workshops in prisons for more than three decades and is former chair of the N.C. Writers' Network Prison project.
Media Contact: Benjamin Jordan Anderson, [e-mail]

University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
-- College of Engineering, Saturday, May 18, Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, Coralville, Iowa: Gary Seamans, UI alumnus, former AT&T executive and MCI Communications vice president, currently chairman and CEO of IDx, an Iowa City-based designer of medical diagnostic tools.
-- College of Business undergraduate: Saturday, May 18, 5 p.m., Carver Hawkeye Arena: Sheri Salata, president of the Oprah Winfrey Network and a business school graduate.
-- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Saturday, May 18, Carver Hawkeye Arena: Andy Stoll, an American-based media producer and social entrepreneur and UI alumnus (9 a.m.); Tanna Frederick, indie film actress and UI alumna who co-founded the Iowa Independent Film Festival (1 p.m.).
Media Contact: Lin Larson, [e-mail]

Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore
Carolyn Y. Woo, Ph.D., president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, will address graduates on Saturday, May 18, 11 a.m., at 1st Mariner Arena. In January 2012, Woo became CEO and president of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Before CRS, Woo served from 1997 to 2011 as dean of the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Woo immigrated to the United States to attend Purdue University, where she earned her bachelor's in economics with highest distinction and honors, master of science in industrial administration with award as Krannert Scholar, and Ph.D. in strategic management. Woo was recently named one of the "500 Most Powerful People on the Planet" by Foreign Policy magazine.
Bio: http://loyo.la/Zynztw
Event Details: http://loyo.la/16hJvUM
Media Contact: Nick Alexopulos, [e-mail]

Babson College, Babson Park, Mass.
Patrick Awuah Jr., founder and president of Ashesi University College in Ghana, and Kip Tindell, chairman and CEO of the Container Store, are honorary degree candidates and commencement speakers for the 2013 undergraduate and graduate Commencement exercises on Saturday, May 18. Saras Sarasvathy, associate professor, Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, will also receive an honorary degree at the graduate ceremony. Awuah Jr. will speak at the 10 a.m. undergraduate ceremony and receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws. Tindell will speak at the 2:30 p.m. graduate ceremony and will receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Sarasvathy will receive an Honorary Degree of Humane Letters at the graduate ceremony.
More details: http://tinyurl.com/ck7ejz5
Media Contact: Barbara Spies Blair, [e-mail]

California College of the Arts, San Francisco
Physicist Amory Lovins will address the CCA's 106th commencement exercises, May 18 at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco.A MacArthur and Ashoka Fellow, Lovins is among the world's leading innovators in energy and its links with resources, security, development, and environment. He has advised the energy and other industries, as well as the U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense, for more than three decades. He is cofounder and chairman of Rocky Mountain Institute, and has numerous notable publications.
More details: http://tinyurl.com/c9eb8ct
Media Contact: Allison Byers, [e-mail]

Southern Methodist University, Dallas
Former U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison will speak at SMU's all-university commencement ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 18, on the main campus quadrangle. Hutchison is the first woman to represent Texas in the United States Senate, serving from 1993 to 2012. During her years in the Senate, she expanded higher education opportunities for thousands of Texans and championed advancements in science, technology, engineering and math education. In the history of the Senate, only two women have been elected to Republican leadership -- Senator Margaret Chase Smith and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. As chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, she was the fourth-highest ranking Republican senator.
Media Contact: Kim Cobb, [e-mail]

Keck Graduate Institute, Claremont, Calif.
Commencement speaker: Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall, executive vice president and chief medical officer, Pfizer. As the company's senior physician, Dr. Lewis-Hall is often described as one of the most powerful women in business. She was named the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association's "Woman of the Year" in 2011; one of the country's "75 Most Powerful Women in Business" by Black Enterprise magazine; and among the "25 Most Influential African-Americans in Health Care" by Black Health magazine. She was appointed by the Obama administration to the inaugural Board of Governors for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute and appears regularly as a featured medical expert on television shows including "The Doctors" and "The Rachael Ray Show." Keck Graduate Institute is a member of the Claremont College Consortium and the only U.S. graduate institute devoted solely to bioscience education, research and discovery. The ceremony will take place Saturday, May 18, at 11:30 a.m., at 535 Watson Drive, Claremont.
Media Contact: Paige Stein, [e-mail]

May 19

DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.
Elisa Villanueva Beard, co-chief executive officer of Teach For America and 1998 graduate of DePauw University, will return to her alma mater to deliver the primary address at DePauw's 174th annual commencement. The ceremony will take place Sunday, May 19, at 10:30 a.m. in Holton Memorial Quadrangle.
Press Release: http://tinyurl.com/bw2n7kw
Media Contact: Ken Owen, [e-mail]

Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio
Law commencement: May 19, 1:30 p.m., ONU Sports Center: U.S. Congressman Tom Reed of New York. Reed, a 1996 graduate of the ONU Pettit College of Law, was first elected to represent the 29th District of New York in a special election held Nov. 2, 2010. Reed is a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, which has broad jurisdiction over many issues, including tax policy, trade, health care and Social Security. He serves on the Human Resources, Oversight, and Select Revenue Measures subcommittees of Ways and Means. Previously, Reed served on the Rules, Judiciary, and Transportation and Infrastructure committees. Reed currently co-chairs the House Manufacturing Caucus and Congressional Natural Gas Caucus, and he is vice chair of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus.
Event Details: http://www.onu.edu/node/49429
Media Contact: Mary A. Wilkin, [e-mail]

Colgate University, Hamilton, N.Y.
Colgate's 192nd commencement will be held May 19, at 10:30 a.m., in SanfordFieldHouse at Colgate University, 13 Oak Drive. The commencement speaker will be Duncan L. Niederauer '81, chief executive officer of NYSE Euronext. During his tenure, Niederauer oversaw the transformation of the company into an innovative, globally integrated organization with a high-tech, high-touch focus. Prior to his current position, Niederauer was president and co-chief operating officer of NYSE Euronext, with responsibility for U.S. cash equities. The baccalaureate speaker will be The Very Reverend Dr. Jane Shaw, dean of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Prior to her move to San Francisco in 2010, Shaw served as dean of divinity and fellow of New College, University of Oxford, and taught history and theology at Oxford for 16 years. She is the author of three books, including the prize-winning "Octavia Daughter of God: The Story of a Female Messiah." She is also currently a visiting scholar at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. Both Niederauer and Shaw will receive honorary degrees during commencement.The night before commencement will be the annual Torchlight ceremony.
Media Contact: Matt Hames, [e-mail]

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
Renowned business leader and philanthropist Peter B. Lewis will return to a Case Western Reserve stage next month as the university's 2013 Commencement speaker on Sunday, May 19, at 9:30 a.m., at Veale Convocation Center, 2138 Adelbert Road, Cleveland. Lewis, who addressed the campus a decade ago at the dedication of the landmark building that bears his name, last appeared at the graduation ceremony in 2008. On that occasion, Barbara R. Snyder's first as the university's leader, Lewis received the inaugural President's Award for Visionary Achievement. As part of the ceremonies, Lewis also will receive an honorary degree from Case Western Reserve, the alma mater of his mother, father, sister and ex-wife, Toby Devan Lewis, as well as several earlier generations of his family. Lewis, who grew up in Cleveland Heights, earned his bachelor's degree from Princeton University before returning to Northeast Ohio to join Progressive, the insurance company his father cofounded in 1937. In 1965, when he was 31, Lewis became CEO, a position he held until 2000. Lewis remains chairman of Progressive today.
Media contact: Susan Griffith, [e-mail]

University of New Haven, Wallingford, Conn.
Ted Kennedy Jr., a lawyer and advocate for people with disabilities, will be the keynote speaker at the morning commencement ceremony of the University of New Haven at the Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre on Sunday, May 19. Kennedy will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at the ceremony, which starts at 10 a.m. A second ceremony at 3 p.m. will feature a commencement address delivered by Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-Conn.), who will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. UNH is awarding 37 associate degrees, 760 bachelor's degrees and 388 master's degrees at the May 19 ceremonies.
Media Contact: Karen Grava, [e-mail]

New England College of Business and Finance
Massachusetts Treasurer Steve Grossman will deliver the online school's commencement address on Sunday, May 19, at the Berklee College of Music Performance Center in Boston. Grossman, who was elected as Massachusetts treasurer in 2010, once served as the chairman of both the Massachusetts Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee, where he established a track record as a reformer and builder, working to implement effective management and financial controls while encouraging individuals to participate in political life. In addition to his political duties, Grossman spent 35 years as CEO of Grossman Marketing Group in Somerville, a 103-year-old, fourth-generation family business. Grossman is also an advisory board member of the Women's Lunch Place and chairs the advisory board of Cambridge College.
Website: http://www.necb.edu
Media Contact: Cassidy Lawson, [e-mail]

Hollins University, Roanoke, Va.
Commencement speaker: Johnnetta B. Cole, director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art; former president of Spelman College and Bennett College for Women; founder of the Johnnetta B. Cole Global Diversity and Inclusion Institute. Commencement date/location: Sunday, May 19, Front Quadrangle.
Media Contact: Jeff Hodges, [e-mail]

St. Lawrence University, Canton, N.Y.
Speakers/honorary degree recipients for the 2013 commencement on Sunday, May 19: 1) John J. O'Shea, an immunologist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a 1974 graduate of St. Lawrence University. O'Shea has received a number of awards for his contributions to the treatment and control of rheumatic diseases and has authored more than 235 articles, establishing his worldwide reputation in immunology. 2) Roger W. Ferguson Jr., president and chief executive officer of TIAA-CREF. He was once vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from 1999 to 2006. 3) Joseph L. Kennedy, retired SUNY Canton president. During Kennedy's 19 years as president, the college transformed from a two- to a four-year college, its enrollment doubled and it now boasts one of the largest and most comprehensive online programs in the SUNY system. Other pertinent information: We will also be awarding the North Country Citation, which is given annually to an individual or group from the region who, through professional and volunteer endeavors, has improved the quality of life in the North Country. This year we will honor the Hospice and Palliative Care of St. Lawrence Valley.
More info: http://tinyurl.com/cqy23jx
Media Contacts: Meg Bernier, [e-mail], or Tom Evelyn, [e-mail]

University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Wash.
Commencement will take place at 2 p.m., Sunday, May 19, at Baker Stadium. Philip Zimbardo, Emeritus Professor Stanford University, will deliver the keynote. Zimbardo is an internationally acclaimed psychologist, professor, and author, who gained fame for his Stanford Prison Experiment, which explored the corrupting influence of personal power, and the PBS video series "Discovering Psychology." He also broke new ground during his decades-long explorations of the nature of shyness and heroism, and attitudes toward time. He has authored more than 400 professional publications and 50 books, including "Psychology and Life," "The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil" and "The Time Paradox."
Media Contact: Shirley Skeel, [e-mail]

Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pa.
David Gergen will deliver the keynote on May 19 at Beachem Portico, north side of Pennsylvania Hall, Gettysburg College campus. Gergen is a professor of public service and director of the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He also serves as a senior political analyst for CNN, contributes to Parade Magazine and is currently at work on a book about renewing America's political culture. Gergen previously served as a White House advisor to four U.S. presidents: Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton. He wrote about those experiences in his New York Times best-seller, "Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton." In the 1980s, he also served as chief editor of U.S. News & World Report.
Media Contact: Nikki Rhoads, [e-mail]

El Centro College, Dallas
Commencement speaker: Joan Becker, El Centro College dean of nursing. Student speaker: Rhyzl Guimbatan, 2013 graduate and president of the ECC Sigma Tau chapter of Phi Theta Kappa academic honorary for two-year colleges. The ceremony will take place Sunday, May 19, at 3 p.m. at the Jesse Owens Complex/Ellis Field House, 9191 S. Polk St. in Dallas. El Centro College is one of the seven colleges in the Dallas County Community College District.
Media Contact: Ann Hatch, [e-mail]

Fairfield University, Fairfield, Conn.
Speakers for the May 19 commencement: Undergraduate ceremony: Reverend Michael J. Garanzini, S.J., president of Loyola University Chicago and General Secretary for Higher Education for the Society of Jesus. Graduate Ceremony: Patrick W. Kelley, '76, P'12, MD, DrPH, director of the Board on Global Health for the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the U.S. National Academies. In addition to the speakers, honorary degrees will be bestowed on the following: Sister Maureen Clark, CSJ, a Sister of St. Joseph from Pittsburgh who has worked in the correctional system for nearly four decades, most recently in Massachusetts; Sister Patricia Farrell, OSF, LCSW, LMHP, a Sister of St. Francis of the Holy Family, Dubuque, Iowa, who spent 20 years in Latin America and is the immediate past president of Leadership Conference of Women Religious; William P. McDonald, '75, who has been with The New York Times since 1988 in various editorial positions on the Metropolitan, National, Culture, and Obituary desks. The undergraduate ceremony takes place at 9:30 a.m., the graduate ceremony at 3 p.m., at Bellarmine Lawn, outdoors, in back of Bellarmine Hall, on the Fairfield University campus. Media credentials are required.
Media Contact: Mike Horyczun, [e-mail]

Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, N.Y.
Speaker: James Carville, one of America's best-known political commentators and a leading citizen in the revitalization of post-Katrina New Orleans. With a history of impressive electoral victories at the local and state level, Carville was the lead strategist for the successful election in 1992 of William Jefferson Clinton as the 42nd president of the United States. The next year, he married Republican strategist Mary Matalin who worked on the campaign of incumbent George H.W. Bush. Their cross-aisle marriage has resulted in more than two decades of political commentary on every major television network and news organization, informing Americans across the political spectrum. Their book, "All's Fair: Love, War and Running for President," became a national bestseller. Following Hurricane Katrina, Carville and Matalin relocated their family from the Washington, D.C., beltway to Carville's home state of Louisiana, where they have been vocal supporters of the renaissance of New Orleans. Together, they have taken part in a range of environmental, educational, economic and cultural projects in support of the Gulf Coast. The ceremony will take place Sunday, May 19, at Hobart and William Smith Quad, 300 Pulteney St., Geneva, N.Y.
Media Contact: Mary LeClair, [e-mail], or Cindy McVey, [e-mail]

May 22

The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y.
Baccalaureate commencement, May 22: Hamdi Ulukaya, founder, CEO and president of Chobani, was dubbed "the Steve Jobs of yogurt" by Forbes in 2011, building a $1 billion business in just five years -- during a major recession. He grew up in Turkey, where his family had a dairy business, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1994 to study business and learn English. In 2002, Ulukaya created Euphrates Feta. Three years later, he founded New York State-based Chobani, now the number one yogurt brand in America. The college holds 16 associate degree and three bachelor's degree commencements each year at the Hyde Park campus.
Media Contact: Jeff Levine, [e-mail]

May 23

Northampton Community College, Bethlehem, Pa.
Commencement speaker: Carmen Twillie Ambar, president of Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pa., earned her juris doctorate from Columbia School of Law, her master's in public affairs from Princeton University, and her bachelor of science degree in foreign service from Georgetown University. The commencement will take place May 23 at the Arthur L. Scott Spartan Center, Main Campus of Northampton Community College.
Media Contact: Myra Saturen, [e-mail]

May 24

Goucher College, Baltimore
Author Judith Viorst, perhaps best known for her beloved children's book "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" and many other works, will receive an honorary degree and deliver the keynote address at Goucher's 122nd Commencement, Friday, May 24. President Sanford J. Ungar will preside over the ceremony, which will begin at 10:30 a.m. on the Margaret M. Winslow Great Lawn, between the Athenaeum and Katharine and Jane Welsh Hall.
Website: http://www.goucher.edu/commencement
Media Contact: Kristen Pinheiro, [e-mail]

May 25

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y.
U.S. Representative John R. Lewis (D-Ga.), one of the nation's most dedicated and courageous civil rights leaders, will address Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduates at the 207th Commencement, May 25. He will join a group of high-level business, military, and nonprofit foundation leaders who will participate in the graduation ceremonies. Lewis will receive an honorary degree, along with Retired Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral (Ret. USN) Michael G. Mullen, Xerox Chairman and CEO Ursula M. Burns, and Microsoft and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pioneer Patty Stonesifer.
More details: www.rpi.edu/academics/commencement/index.html
Media Contact: Mark Marchand, [e-mail]

McDaniel College, Westminster, Md.
McDaniel College will have two commencement speakers: journalists and husband and wife, Al Hunt of Bloomberg News and Judy Woodruff of "PBS NewsHour." The ceremony will take place Saturday, May 25, 2 p.m., at the college's Gill Center. Hunt is executive editor of Bloomberg News in Washington, D.C. He was formerly a congressional and national political reporter, bureau chief and executive Washington editor for The Wall Street Journal for 35 years. He has served as a panelist on NBC's "Meet the Press" and PBS' "Washington in Review," as well as political analyst on CBS Morning News, and a panelist on CNN's "The Capital Gang" and "Novak, Hunt & Shields." Woodruff has covered politics and other news as a television journalist at CNN, NBC, and PBS, for more than three decades. She served as co-anchor of "PBS NewsHour," chief Washington correspondent for PBS' "The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour" and anchored the award-winning weekly documentary series, "Frontline with Judy Woodruff." She was an anchor and senior correspondent for CNN for 12 years, anchoring the weekday political program, "Inside Politics." At NBC News, she served as White House correspondent from 1977-1982 and for one year after was NBC's "Today Show" chief Washington correspondent. A founding co-chair of the International Women's Media Foundation, she serves on the boards of the Freedom Forum, the Newseum, and the Urban Institute. She is also a member of The Knight Foundation, Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, and the board of the National Museum of American History.
More details: http://www.mcdaniel.edu/information/commencement/
Media Contact: Cheryl Knauer, [e-mail]

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Ind.
G. Felda Hardymon, Ph.D., one of the world's notable experts in entrepreneurship education and venture capital, will address members of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology's Class of 2013 during commencement exercises on May 25 in Terre Haute, Ind. A 1969 Rose-Hulman mathematics alumnus, Hardymon is a partner with Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP), one of the oldest venture firms (founded in 1911) and now a global organization with $1.6 billion under management. He has led BVP's investment with a number of young companies in the software, communications and retail sectors. Since 1998, Hardymon also has taught and conducted research at Harvard Business School, and is currently a visiting professor of finance at the London School of Economics. Hardymon has been named several times to the Forbes Midas 100 List of Venture Capitalists who possess the proverbial "golden touch," and is co-author of the bestseller "Venture Capital and Private Equity."
Media Contact: Dale Long, [e-mail]

May 31

LIM College, New York
Mark Mendelson, president/CEO of Ellen Tracy, will deliver the keynote to graduates of LIM College, which is exclusively focused on the study of business and fashion. Mendelson will also receive LIM College's Distinguished Achievement Award and an honorary Doctor of Commercial Science degree at the ceremony. The ceremony will take place May 31 at 4:30 p.m., at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York.
Website: http://www.limcollege.edu/about-lim/13236.aspx
Media Contacts: Meredith Finnin, [e-mail], or Melissa Krantz, [e-mail]

June 1

Leman Manhattan Preparatory School, New York
Leman Manhattan Preparatory School will be celebrating the graduation of their first senior class on Saturday, June 1, at 10 a.m., in the Broad Street ballroom at 41 Broad St., New York. The commencement speaker is Luanne Zurlo, founder and president of Worldfund. Zurlo founded Worldfund, a nonprofit dedicated to improving education quality in Latin America, in 2002 after a nine-year career as a securities analyst on Wall Street, and was ranked by Institutional Investor as one of the top Latin American telecommunications analysts. Headquartered in New York City, with branches in Mexico City and Sao Paulo, Worldfund has become the premier NGO dedicated to raising the quality of education in Latin America. As president, Zurlo structured partnerships with Harvard University, Dartmouth College, local corporations and government education officials to launch innovative teacher/principal training, literacy/arts and science/math programs in Mexican and Brazilian public schools. She is an adjunct professor at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., teaching a graduate seminar in the economic and management aspects of education in developing countries. She has an MBA in finance and accounting from Columbia Business School, an MA in international affairs from Johns Hopkins University SAIS, and a bachelor's degree in history from Dartmouth College. She resides in New York City and Falmouth, Maine.
Media Contact: Elana Bodow, [e-mail]

Westminster College, Salt Lake City
The commencement speaker is Robert Redford, actor, director and president/founder of the Sundance Institute. Redford is an ardent conservationist and environmentalist, an artist and businessman who stands for social responsibility and political involvement. He will receive a Doctor of Humanities degree at the commencement ceremony, which will take place June 1 at 1:45 p.m. at The Maverik Center, 3200 South Decker Lake Drive (2200 West), in West Valley City. The event will be streamed live at www.westminstercollege.edu/live.
Media Contacts: Krista DeAngelis, [e-mail], or Arikka Von, [e-mail]

Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Va.
Katie Couricwill deliver the commencement address June 1 at 10 a.m. at Frank E. Brown Fountain Plaza, Randolph-Macon College. Couric is an award-winning journalist and TV personality, a cancer-research advocate, and a best-selling author. She is the host of "Katie," a daily syndicated daytime talk show, and also serves as a special correspondent for ABC News. She was the first solo female anchor of a national nightly news broadcast, as anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric" (2006-2011). A tireless advocate for cancer research and awareness, she is a co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer, an organization that has raised nearly $200 million in funds to accelerate research that can get new therapies to patients quickly. After losing her husband Jay Monahan to colon cancer in 1998, Couric became a public leader in the fight against the country's second largest cancer killer. In 2000, she launched the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance with the Entertainment Industry Foundation and cancer activist Lilly Tartikoff to fund cutting-edge research in colorectal cancer and generate awareness about the life-saving value of screening. Couric helped co-found The Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Couric will receive the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree during the ceremony, along with two other distinguished leaders: Roger H. Martin, Ph.D., will receive the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, and Robert B. Lambeth Jr. ('71) will receive the Honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Media Contacts: Pam Harris Cox, [e-mail], or Anne Marie Lauranzon, [e-mail]

June 10

Peirce College, Philadelphia
Commencement Speaker: Lisa Nutter
Peirce College's 2013 Commencement speaker will be Lisa Nutter, first lady of Philadelphia. As president of Philadelphia Academies, Inc., a non-profit youth development organization that works in Philadelphia's public high schools to motivate young people to stay engaged in school, Nutter aims to expand economic opportunities for students and set them on a positive path. Prior to joining Philadelphia Academies, Nutter worked in a variety of industries, including education, community organizing, human services, community development, and arts and culture. Nutter is passionate about issues related to social change and youth development, and is active on a local and national scale. She currently serves on the board of directors of the Women's Community Revitalization Project, Big Picture Philadelphia. She also serves on the Advisory Council for the Pennsylvania Conference for Women. The ceremony will take place Monday, June 10, at Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center, 300 S Broad Street, Philadelphia.
Media Contact: Katie Kennedy, [e-mail]

June 14

UCLA Anderson School of Management, Los Angeles
Peter Lowy , co-chief executive officer of Westfield Group, will address this year's MBA, Fully Employed MBA (FEMBA), and Ph.D. graduates. The graduation ceremony will take place June 14 at 4 p.m. on Wilson Plaza at the UCLA campus. Lowy has 30 years' experience in the shopping center and real estate investment trust industries, and has been with Westfield Group since 1983. He also is the chairman of the Homeland Security Advisory Council for Los Angeles County, serves on the RAND Corporation Executive Committee and Board of Trustees, the Executive Committee of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and is a director of the Lowy Institute for International Policy. He has served as chairman of the American Jewish University and is currently chairman of the board of The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles/TRIBE Media Corp. Lowy is a member of the Wall Street Journal's CEO Council and serves on the JRC's External Advisory Group for Public Policy & Finance at Princeton University.
(See July 27 for info on the EMBA address.)
Media Contact: Elise Anderson, [e-mail]

June 15

Colorado Technical University, Denver
Former U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings will be the commencement speaker at the university's graduation ceremony in Denver on Saturday, June 15. As the former U.S. secretary of education and domestic policy advisor to President George W. Bush, Spellings is one of the nation's leading experts on the competitiveness of the nation's workforce. From the rise of educated workers in emerging markets and the aging of populations around the world to the influx of skilled labor, she brings in-depth knowledge and insight into the forces that will shape the future of American industry. Spellings is now president and CEO of Margaret Spellings and Company, a senior advisor to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the president of the U.S. Forum for Policy Innovation, She has appeared on "Meet the Press," "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report," among others. The ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. at the Bellco Theater in the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th Street, Denver.
Website: http://www.coloradotech.edu.
Media Contact: Quinn Kelsey, [e-mail]

Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, Calif.
Leon Panetta, former U.S. secretary of defense, will deliver the keynote at the 162nd Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony, June 15 at 8:30 a.m. Panettais a 1960magna cum laudepolitical science major and 1963 graduate of Santa Clara University's School of Law. In addition to his role as secretary of defense under President Obama, he also worked for the Clinton administration and served in the House of Representatives. He and his wife Sylvia founded the Panetta Institute for Public Policy in 1997 as a not-for-profit study center seeking toattract thoughtful men and women to lives of public service and prepare them for the policy challenges of the future.
More details: http://tinyurl.com/ck4paf9
Media Contact: Marika Krause, [e-mail]

June 16

Union College, Schenectady, N.Y.
U.S. Rep. John Lewis, an influential figure in the civil rights movement who helped organize the historic march on Washington in 1963 and has dedicated his life to protecting human rights, will address graduates at 10 a.m. on Hull Plaza. Lewis will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree.
Website: http://www.union.edu
Media Contact: Phillip J. Wajda, [e-mail]

July 27

UCLA Anderson School of Management, Los Angeles
Peter Bren, chairman and president of KBS Realty Advisors and its affiliate KBS Capital Advisors, will deliver the commencement address to this year's EMBA graduates. The ceremony will take place July 27 at 3 p.m. in Royce Hall on the UCLA campus. Bren has been involved exclusively in real estate development, management, acquisition, disposition and financing for more than 40 years. In his current position, he oversees all KBS operations, including the acquisition and management of individual investments and portfolios of income-producing real estate assets. He directs all facets of the company's business activities, maintains responsibility for investor relationships, and serves as a member of the KBS Investment Committee, which evaluates and authorizes new investment opportunities for the firm. Bren is president of KBS REIT, KBS REIT II and KBS REIT III -- all public, non-listed real estate investment trusts. Additionally, he is involved with the management of two additional REITs: KBS Strategic Opportunity REIT, targeting opportunistic investments; and KBS Legacy Partners Apartment REIT, which focuses on the multifamily sector.
Media Contact: Elise Anderson, [e-mail]

Past Ceremonies

Dominican University, River Forest, Ill.
Dominican University's undergraduate commencement speaker is Christopher Kennedy, former president of Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc.; chairman of Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises, Inc., the investment firm of the Kennedy Family; and founder of Top Box Foods. Commencement will be held Saturday, May 4, at the University of Illinois at Chicago Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago. Kennedy, who has served as Dominican's Lund-Gill Chair and a visiting lecturer this year, founded and serves as chairman of Top Box Foods, a nonprofit hunger-relief organization that provides high-quality, affordable food products to low-income neighborhoods throughout the city of Chicago. He is chair of the University of Illinois board of trustees and serves on the boards of Ariel Investments Mutual Fund, The Chicago Community Trust, and Catholic Theological Union. He is the eighth of the late U.S. Attorney General Robert F. and Ethel Kennedy's 11 children.
Media Contact: Jessica Mackinnon, [e-mail]

St. Louis College of Pharmacy
Speaker: Henri Manasse Jr., Ph.D., Sc.D. (Hon.), FFIP. Manasse directed the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) as executive vice president and chief executive officer from 1997 through 2012. He is currently professor and dean emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy. The ceremony took place May 5 at the Peabody Opera House, 1400 Market St, St Louis, Mo.
Media Contact: Brad Brown, [e-mail]

Wharton, San Francisco
The graduation ceremony for the MBA Program for Executives at Wharton | San Francisco was held on Sunday, May 5, at 3:00 p.m. in the Marines' Memorial Theater, 609 Sutter Street, San Francisco. The featured speaker was Inder Sidhu, Cisco senior vice president of strategy for worldwide operations.
More info: http://tinyurl.com/ca8pjyk
Media Contact: Miles C. Daniels, [e-mail]

Berea College, Berea, Ky.
Peter J. O'Connor, a longtime civil rights activist, addressed the seniors on Sunday, May 5, and urged them to think of others first and strive for social justice, an ideal for which he has long advocated. O'Connor has dedicated his life and legal career to fighting social injustice, particularly in the area of affordable, quality housing for the underprivileged. During the ceremony, O'Connor was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Full-resolution images of commencement and the award winners can be downloaded at http://tinyurl.com/dy3kdnm
Media Contact: Jay Bucker, [e-mail]

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