USI Romain College of Business and the Division of Outreach and Engagement commencement will be held Saturday, May 4

The University of Southern Indiana Romain College of Business and the Division of Outreach and Engagement will hold Commencement at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, in the Physical Activities Center (PAC) on the USI campus. Dr. Mohammed Khayum, dean of the Romain College of Business,Dr. Mark Bernhard, associate provost for Outreach and Engagement, and faculty from both units will join members of the USI Board of Trustees, USI President Linda L. M. Bennett, and other officers of the University for the afternoon program.

David Goodman will deliver the Commencement address to the graduates. He graduated from USI in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and marketing and earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Indiana University in 1981. He is the chief executive officer of Advanced Green Technologies, an international solar installer, and the chief executive officer of Edenark Group, a business advisory company. He is helping develop and implement Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs by advising governments, financing companies, and users on the costs and benefits of solar as an alternative energy source. An Evansville native and current resident of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Goodman has been enhancing service, manufacturing, distribution, real estate, technology, and consumer products companies in operation, advisory, and director roles for more than 30 years.

Goodman will receive the David L. Rice Alumni Achievement Award in recognition of his positive impact in the business world. The award, a crystal soaring eagle representing the University mascot, personifies the vision held by USI's first president,Dr. David L. Rice, of the potential of graduates from the University of Southern Indiana.

Honorary degrees will be awarded to James L. Will Sr. and his wife Eileen Berendes Will. Will has served on the USI Board of Trustees, the USI Foundation Board, and the Varsity Club Board. He is active in the community and was a longtime member and past president of the West Side Nut Club. His wife Eileen volunteers at Resurrection Church and has given much time to Altrusa International Evansville. She was a founding member of Birthright, which she continues to serve. The Wills also provided funding for the programmatic support of the Business and Engineering Center, which opened in 2010. They will be presented Doctor of Laws degrees. An honorary degree from USI is the highest form of recognition granted by the institution. Individuals selected to receive an honorary degree exemplify the highest ideals of integrity, service, and dedication to learning.

Baccalaureate degree candidates from the Romain College of Business who are graduating with honors include the following:

Summa cum laude, highest scholarship index of 4.0 (wearing gold cords)

Watson, Braden A.

Magna cum laude, scholarship index of 3.80 or higher (wearing red cords)

Atkins, Taylor J.
Boesing, Benjamin D.
Dumas, Joseph A.
Fehribach, Dean J.
Jones, Lindsey B.
Marshall, Christina N.
McGuire, Jean E.
Meyer, Emily E.
Pike, Tyler R.
Priest, James
Reckelhoff, Lauren N.
Smith, Nicole E.
Spall, Megan E.
Stumpf, Ellena
Stutsman, Jaimie A.
Valentine, Katherine E.

Cum laude, scholarship index between 3.6 and 3.8 (wearing blue cords)

Allen, Clayton B.
Dartt, Justin H.
Doleh, Randa M.
Esche, Sarah E.
Faull, Seth L.
Feng, Chuying
Goines, Hazie D.
Herrmann, Matthew S.
Hill, Richard B.
Maynard, Garrie D.
McGrew, Dustin P.
Miller, Melissa A.
Mominee, Clifton M.
Piotrowski, Thomas A.
Pohl, Jacob R.
Reisinger, Cory
Sams, Brian M.
Schiff, Logan E.
Sharp, Stuart W.
Stocking, Jo Anne

Asterisks indicate students who will graduate from USI's Honors Program, a demanding and rewarding program for selected students who take on extra challenges in their course work.

A reception for the graduates and their friends and families will follow the ceremony and will be held in University Center East.

Three other Colleges at USI will conduct Commencement on May 4 according to this schedule:

Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education, 9 a.m.
College of Nursing and Health Professions, noon
College of Liberal Arts, 6 p.m.

A commencement ceremony for graduate students will be held at 6:30 p.m. on May 3 in the PAC.

Live video of each ceremony will be streamed in University Center East Conference Center (Rooms 2217-2220). The ceremonies also may be viewed online here.