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WVU's 139th Commencement Weekend activities set for May 16-18
Thousands of graduates expected to participate in ceremonies

UPDATED INFORMATION AS OF MID-MAY: Jennie Hunter-Cevera, WVU alumna and president of the University of Maryland's Biotechnology Institute, is replacing Mike Garrison as commencement speaker for Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.
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Families and friends will join graduates May 16-18 in celebrating West Virginia University’s 139th Commencement Weekend ceremonies. More than 3,600 students are expected to graduate.

Weekend activities will include the University-wide Commencement Honors Convocation and individual Commencement ceremonies by each of the University’s 13 colleges and schools.

WVU geography professor Kenneth Martis will address graduates during the Commencement Honors Convocation at 7 p.m. Friday, May 16, in the Coliseum on the University’s Evansdale Campus. The ceremony will recognize outstanding students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Martis was named the 2007 West Virginia Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). He was among a select group of professors chosen for the honor – picked from among 300 top professors in the nation. Martis was also named the 2006-07 WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teacher and the 2007 WVU Foundation Outstanding Teacher.

The Honors Convocation ceremony will include the presentation of colors by Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) students, charge of flags by outstanding graduates from each school and college, who will carry and display a banner on the commencement stage representing their school, and performances by the WVU Choir and Wind Symphony.

The University will recognize Honors College graduates (University Honors Scholars), WVU Foundation Outstanding Seniors, WVU Foundation Order of Augusta honorees, Air Force and Military Science ROTC graduates, national award winners and one outstanding graduate from each WVU college and school.

Faculty, staff and alumni awards to be recognized during the ceremony include WVU’s Order of Vandalia, honorary degrees, the Ethel and Gerry Heebink Award for Distinguished State Service, Mary Catherine Buswell Award, Neil S. Bucklew Award for Social Justice, Caperton Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing, CASE West Virginia Professor of the Year, Benedum Distinguished Scholars and the WVU Foundation Awards for Outstanding Teaching.

Those being honored will participate in the event by invitation. Audience seating for the Honors Convocation is open to students, faculty, staff and the public.

A reception will immediately follow the ceremony. Honorees interested in attending should RSVP prior to May 2 by visiting http://simpleforms.scripts.wvu.edu/sf/CommHonorsConvocatio/.

The Honors Convocation is the signature event of Commencement Weekend and will be followed by a series of Commencement ceremonies hosted by each of the University’s colleges and schools Saturday and Sunday, May 17-18.

The school and college ceremonies will be degree-conferring events, providing graduating students from all degree levels an opportunity to be individually recognized as they receive their diplomas. The ceremonies will be held in one of three venues – the Creative Arts Center, Student Recreation Center or Coliseum – and will be attended by either the University president, provost or a vice president.

The full schedule of ceremonies and keynote speakers is listed below:

Friday, May 16

• 10 a.m. – Army ROTC commissioning ceremony, Mountainlair ballrooms
• 2 p.m. – Air Force ROTC commissioning ceremony, Erickson Alumni Center
• 7 p.m. – Commencement Honors Convocation, Coliseum; address by WVU professor Kenneth Martis

 Saturday, May 17

• 9 a.m. – School of Medicine, Commencement ceremony (M.D./Ph.D.), Creative Arts Center; address by James Brick, interim dean, WVU School of Medicine
• 9:30 a.m. – College of Human Resources and Education, Commencement ceremony, Coliseum; address by Rachel Kennedy, outstanding graduate from the college
• 9:30 a.m. – School of Dentistry, Commencement ceremony, Student Recreation Center; address by Laura Aliff, president, WVU School of Dentistry Alumni Association
• 2 p.m. – College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, Commencement ceremony, Coliseum; address by Addison Fischer, entrepreneur and software engineer
• 2 p.m. – College of Law, Commencement ceremony, Creative Arts Center; address by andre douglas pond cummings, WVU College of Law Professor of the Year
• 2 p.m. – School of Pharmacy, Commencement ceremony, Student Recreation Center; address by Patty Johnston, president, WVU School of Pharmacy Alumni Association
• 6 p.m. – College of Business and Economics, Commencement ceremony, Coliseum; address by Michael Stolarczyk, senior director for Excel Inc.
• 6:30 p.m. – School of Nursing, Commencement ceremony, Student Recreation Center; address by Lynne Ostrow, associate professor and chair of the WVU Health Restoration Department
• 7:30 p.m. – College of Creative Arts, Commencement ceremony, Creative Arts Center; address by C.B. Wilson, associate provost and former dean of the College of Creative Arts

Sunday, May 18

•  9:30 a.m. – Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences, Commencement ceremony, Coliseum; address by Soji Adelaja, John H. Hannah Distinguished Professor in Land Policy and director of the Land Policy Program at Michigan State University
• 9:30 a.m. – School of Journalism, Commencement ceremony, Creative Arts Center; address by Vince Gonzales, CNN correspondent
• 10:30 a.m. – School of Medicine, Commencement ceremony (professional), Student Recreation Center; address by Kevin Soden, medical correspondent for NBC’s “The Today Show”
• 2 p.m. – Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, Commencement ceremony, Coliseum; address by Mike Garrison, WVU president
• 2 p.m. – School of Physical Education, Commencement ceremony, Creative Arts Center; address by Bill Stewart, head coach, WVU Mountaineer football

Detailed information regarding ceremony schedules, academic regalia, photography packages, parking provisions, accommodations for disabilities and lodging may be found at http://commencement.wvu.edu.