More than 1,400 students to graduate April 29-30 at USI
The University of Southern Indiana will hold five Spring Commencement ceremonies over two days, April 29 and 30, in the Physical Activities Center (PAC).
The Graduate Ceremony for master and doctoral degree candidates from all of USI's colleges will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 29, in the PAC. On Saturday, April 30, the undergraduate ceremony for the Romain College of Business and Outreach and Engagement will begin at 9 a.m.; the College of Liberal Arts at noon; Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education at 3 p.m., and the College of Nursing and Health Professions at 6 p.m.
1,424 students are eligible to participate. Of those, 27 graduate summa cum laude, 135 magna cum laude and 144 cum laude. 49 graduates are University Honors Scholars - students who have successfully completed the Honors Program - and can be recognized by the white honor cords worn with their regalia.
Speakers at each Commencement ceremony will be USI alumni who have excelled in their professional lives.
Friday
The speaker for the Graduate Ceremony is Danyelle E. Granger M'05, vice president of diversity and inclusion director of Old National Bancorp. She completed her Masters of Public Administration at the University of Southern Indiana after receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Ball State University in 2002.
Also at the Graduate Ceremony, honorary degrees will be presented to Dr. Donald E. Pitzer and Philip Hagemann. The honorary Doctor of Laws will be awarded to Pitzer, professor emeritus of history and director emeritus of the Center for Communal Studies at USI, and the honorary Doctor of Humanities to Hagemann, choral composer and theatre investor and producer from Mount Vernon, Indiana.
Saturday
The 2016 Commencement speaker for the Romain College of Business and Outreach and Engagement is Robert Hon '89. He currently is managing director for Wells Fargo Advisors in Chicago, Illinois.
Becky Boling '75 will address graduates at the College of Liberal Arts Ceremony. A graduate of USI, Boling completed her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Studies in 1975. She currently is a professor of Spanish and Latin American literature at Carleton College in Northfield Minnesota.
Eileen Weber '98 is the speaker for the 2016 Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education Commencement ceremony. She is a product manager at Red Spot Paint and Varnish Company, Inc., where she has been employed for 18 years. Also at the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education ceremony, Dr. Kathy Rodgers, professor of mathematics, will be awarded the Distinguished Professor award, and Maria A. Anderson will receive the President's Medal, the highest honor the University presents to a graduate. Anderson is graduating with a bachelor's degree in biology, is pursuing a master's degree in health administration, and maintained a 3.9 GPA while participating in the Early Undergraduate Research Program and receiving a USI Endeavor Grant.
Lisa R. Gish '00 M'04 is the 2016 Commencement speaker for the College of Nursing and Health Professions. She is the director of Clinic Operations with Tri-State Community Clinics, LLC and president of Integrity Healthcare Solutions, LLC. She earned a degree in nursing from Deaconess Hospital School of Nursing before graduating from the University of Southern Indiana in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and in 2004 with a Master of Health Administration.
Guests of graduates participating in the College of Nursing and Health Professions and College of Liberal Arts ceremonies require tickets to attend. For more information about all ceremonies, as well as links to other Commencement information, go to usi.edu/commencement.
Live video of each ceremony will be streamed in the University Center East Conference Center (Rooms 2217-2220). You also can view ceremonies via a livestream online. Instructions are available at www.usi.edu/live-stream.