UA News

The UA will confer degrees upon its largest undergraduate class during its spring commencement ceremony.

President Robert N. Shelton will confer degrees upon 4,895 undergraduate, 913 master's/specialist and 376 doctoral candidates during the two exercises marking the 140th University of Arizona Commencement ceremony.

The ceremony for graduate students will be held on Friday, May 15, at 7:30 p.m., and the ceremony for undergraduates is set for Saturday, May 16, at 8 a.m. Both events will be held at McKale Memorial Center.

Alan Weisman, UA professor of journalism and Latin American studies and author of The New York Times best-selling book "The World Without Us," will speak at the graduate ceremony.

Dean Kamen, the undergraduate commencement speaker, is best known as the inventor of the Segway Human Transporter. Kamen is an entrepreneur and an advocate for science and technology. He will be feted with an honorary degree during the undergraduate ceremony on Saturday.

More commencement speaker details can be found at UANews.org.

In addition, each college will host a separate celebration for its graduates. For more information on each college ceremony visit the Dean of Students Office.

Graduate Ceremony Details:

During the graduate commencement ceremony on Friday, May 15, at 7:30 p.m. President Shelton also will confer 143 Juris Doctor degrees, one Juridical Science Doctor degree, two Master of Laws in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy and 10 Master of Laws in International Trade Law upon students from the James E. Rogers College of Law.

From the Arizona Health Sciences Center, 121 degrees will be conferred upon students from the College of Medicine and 78 doctors of pharmacy will be conferred upon students from the College of Pharmacy.

Graduate students from all colleges are invited to participate. Graduate student instructions can be found at the UA Commencement Web site.

The Friday evening ceremony will also include recognition of honorary degrees except for Kamen who will receive his degree on Saturday. Other awards to be given then include the UA Alumni Achievement award and several graduate student awards.

Honorary Degree Awards:

Due to an urgent personal matter, Nadine Mathis Basha is unable to attend the Spring Commencement Ceremony. The UA will award her honorary doctorate at the 2009 Winter Commencement Ceremony.

Edward Perry Bass, president of Fine Line, Inc., will be presented with an honorary degree of Doctor of Science. Bass is a committed environmentalist and founding trustee of the Philecology Trust which funds select non-profit ecological interests. In 2007 Bass, through the his foundation, partnered with the UA to create research experiments and outreach programs at Biosphere 2.

Dean Kamen is the founder of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a non-profit organization dedicated to motivating the next generation to understand, use and enjoy science and technology. He is an inventor, entrepreneur and a tireless advocate for science and technology. He is also the founder of DEKA Research and Development Corporation, where he develops internally generated inventions and provides research and development for major corporate clients. He holds more than 440 U.S. and foreign patents for his devices.

UA alumnus John Kilkenny, executive vice president at Twentieth Century Fox and head of the studio's visual effects department, will be presented with an honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts. Kilkenny is being recognized for his efforts in providing the UA's School of Media Arts and the Hanson Film Institute with specialized internships for UA students and UA alumni at Twentieth Century Fox. He also is currently working with the University in exploring the development of the nation's first professional visual effects production training program at the UA.

Steve W. Lynn will be presented with an honorary degree of Doctors of Letters. Lynn is vice president of Tucson Electric Power Company and a UA alumnus who is being honored for his contributions to the University. He has served as co-chair of the Arizona Early Education Fund, chairman of the Downtown Tucson Partnership and serves on the UA College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Advisory Board.

Ned L. Norris Jr., the chairman of the Tohono O'odham Nation, will be presented with an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. Norris is being recognized for his leadership of the tribe, his work on the UA President's Native American Advisory Council and with statewide organizations alike.

Cele Peterson will be honored with a Doctor of Humane Letters. Peterson is a fashion designer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and a community icon who celebrates Tucson's multifaceted culture, its rich history and its thriving uniqueness. Peterson founded what is now known as the Tucson Children's Museum, was a co-founder of Casa de Los Niños, the first crisis nursery in the United States, and helped create the Arizona Theater Company and the Tucson Opera Company. Peterson generated the idea for Kids International Neighborhood, a non-profit organization that promotes cultural understanding, acceptance and respect among children of the world. She also has served on UA boards for the College of Humanities, the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture and the Steele Memorial Children's Research Foundation.

For more information on Honorary Degree Awardees, visit UANews.org.

The Alumni Achievement Award:

The University of Arizona Alumni Association will present the Alumni Achievement Award to Pamela J. Turbeville, who graduated from the UA with a double major in family and consumer sciences and education in 1972. Turbeville is being honored for her support of the UA John and Doris Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences via the Pamela J. Turbeville Endowment in the School of Family and Consumer Sciences and for designating funds to name the Student Service Center in the new McClelland Park Building. She recently retired after 10 years of distinguished service as senior vice president and chief executive officer of Navistar Financial Corporation, the financial subsidiary of Navistar Corporation.

Undergraduate Ceremony Details:

The ceremony for bachelor's degree candidates, their friends and families will begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 16. This ceremony will include recognition of undergraduate student awards and the presentation of all undergraduates by college.

Procession and assembly instructions for undergraduate candidates for bachelor's degrees can be found at the UA Commencement Web site.

Student Awards:

Six students will be honored with achievement medals during the ceremony.

Merrill P. Freeman Medals will be awarded to Jessica Anderson, a bachelor of science candidate and honors marketing major who was named the Eller College of Management Outstanding Marketing Senior, and Craig Sheedy, an honors student with a double major in health sciences and molecular biophysics and physiology with a minor in Spanish.

Robie Gold Metals will be awarded to two honors students. Joseph Fu, a bachelor of science candidate in molecular biology, microbiology and philosophy. Fu is a Truman and a Flinn scholar studying neurocognitive function. Justine Schluntz, a member of the UA swim team, will graduate summa cum laude from the College of Engineering with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering.

Robert Logan Nugent Medals will be awarded to another pair of undergraduates. Nancy Hernandez, who graduates with a bachelor of science with a dual major in accounting and business economics, dedicates much of her time to community service and educational projects with youth in Mexico and in Tucson and Yuma. She is also the UA Hispanic Alumni Outstanding Undergraduate Senior Award winner. Abraham Itty is an honors student who will graduate summa cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in molecular and cellular biology and a bachelor of science in health sciences in physiology with a minor in business. Itty is an active member of the Pre-Dental Society and contributes internationally to oral health with dental missions to Guatemala and Mexico.

For more information on the awards and winning students please visit UANews.org.