EIU Spring Commencement is Saturday; Fatheree Among Guest Speakers

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Published on May 5 2016 4:09 pm
Last Updated on May 5 2016 4:11 pm
Written by Greg Sapp

Approximately 1,400 undergraduate and graduate students plan to participate in commencement ceremonies at Eastern Illinois University on Saturday, May 7.

Ceremonies will take place at 9 a.m.noon3 and 6 p.m. in Lantz Arena. Guest tickets are required for admission.

(JOE FATHEREE)

Students from the College of Sciences will march in the morning ceremony, the College of Arts and Humanities and the School of Continuing Education at noon, the College of Education and Professional Studies at 3 p.m., and the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences at 6.

Students from the Graduate School will walk with their respective colleges during each ceremony.

EIU President David M. Glassman will preside over the day’s activities.

Each ceremony will feature a special guest speaker who will present the official “Charge to the Class.” Joe Fatheree, award-winning educator, author and filmmaker, will speak at both 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. He was recently named one of the Top 10 Teachers in the World by the Varkey Foundation. Keith Berglund, principal in The Berglund Group, which provides consulting, entertainment, corporate, financing and litigation advice to primarily corporate and high net worth individuals across the globe, plans to speak at noon and 6 p.m. Both speakers are graduates of EIU.

During the noon ceremony, special recognition will be given to Lynne Curry, professor of history, who was named the 2016 recipient of Eastern's Distinguished Faculty Award. This award is presented annually by the Faculty Senate to a full-time faculty member who has excelled in teaching, professional research/creative activity and service.

Linda Ghent, who was selected as EIU’s 2015 Luis Clay Mendez Distinguished Service Award recipient for her contributions to the university, the field of economics, and the community, will be formally recognized during the 9 a.m. ceremony. The award honors the memory of Mendez, an EIU professor of Spanish who died in 2003.

Commencement marshals lead the procession while carrying the university mace. This spring's commencement marshals are as follows: Gary N. Fritz, professor of biological sciences, 9 a.m.; Jill Owen, chair/professor of kinesiology and sports studies, noon; Kathryn Bulver, professor of French,  3 p.m.; and Melanie Burns, professor, School of Family and Consumer Sciences, 6 p.m.

Faculty marshals are given the honor of carrying the college banner for their respective colleges. This spring's faculty marshals are as follows: Angela Anthony and Frank Goldacker (both communication disorders and sciences), 9 a.m.; Stephen King, Rodney Marshall (both communication studies) and Nick Osborne (educational leadership), noon; Dianne Timm (counseling and student development) and Sham’Ah Md-Yunus (early childhood, elementary and middle level education); 3 p.m.; and Isaac Slaven (School of Technology) and Nichole Hugo (School of Family and Consumer Sciences), 6 p.m.