5,300 degrees to be conferred at weekend ceremonies

by Daniel J. Fitzgibbons, Chronicle staff

Seniors Julie Stevens and Jessica Schron share a laugh as they try on their mortar boards after leaving the Textbook Annex. (Stan Sherer photo)

n a final blur of ceremonies and celebrations, more than 5,300 graduates will bid the campus farewell this weekend.

      Most of those students will be the focus of the 133rd Undergraduate Commencement, scheduled for Sunday at 10 a.m. at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. About 4,000 bachelor's degrees will be conferred at the ceremony.

      Chancellor John V. Lombardi, presiding over his first Commencement since taking office last summer, and President William M. Bulger, are scheduled to offer remarks. Matt Dunphy, a Theater and English major, will be the student speaker.

      Bulger also will confer honorary degrees upon two alumni, Kathleen A. Cote, '71, managing partner of Boston Commerce Ventures, and Steven M. Gluckstern, '74 Ed.D., founding managing director of Azimuth Alternative Asset Management.

      Reflecting Lombardi's desire to make Commencement a more student-oriented event, the ceremony also will include the presentation of new senior leadership awards to 11 members of the Class of 2003. Sponsored by the Chancellor's Office and the Alumni Association, the 21st Century Leader Awards are intended to recognize students who are academically accomplished and who have contributed to the University by exceptional achievements that distinguish themselves or enhance the reputation of the campus. The recipients were nominated by faculty for strong leadership qualities; noteworthy original research; community service; the achievement of success by overcoming extraordinary personal circumstances; or public presentation through art, performance, or athletic ability.

      The awards will be presented by Harold M. Lane, Jr., '60, president-elect of the Alumni Association.

      The processional will be led by mace bearer George R. Richason, Jr., '37, '39G, '91H, professor of Chemistry. The faculty marshals are Jane Kent-Braun, associate professor of Exercise Science, and Robert G. Sullivan, associate professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures. Joshua Klein-Golden, '02, and William A. Lambert, '53, '56G, are serving as alumni marshals.

      This year's ceremony is coordinated by Gloria V. Fox, '95, of Community Relations.
The ceremony will be held rain or shine. A reception for graduates and their families hosted by the chancellor will take place immediately following the ceremony, under a tent located in the southeast corner of the stadium.

Graduate Commencement

     The weekend ceremonies will begin Saturday as the Graduate School honors approximately 1,200 master's and doctoral degree candidates at 10:30 a.m. in the Mullins Center.

     Ernesto Zedillo, president of Mexico from 1994-2000, now a member of the faculty at Yale University, will be awarded an honorary degree.

     James F. Walker Jr., interim dean of the Graduate School, will offer a welcome. Lombardi and Bulger will deliver brief remarks.

Stockbridge Commencement

      The Stockbridge School of Agriculture will hold its 81st Commencement on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Bowker Auditorium. Approximately 110 candidates will receive associate of science degrees.

      The keynote speaker will be Kevin J. Hollister, a Stockbridge and University alumnus who has worked in the nursery and landscape field and is now pursuing a teaching career.

Phi Beta Kappak

      The annual induction ceremony for juniors and seniors elected to Phi Beta Kappa will be held Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Campus Center Auditorium. A total of 197 new members will be inducted into the oldest and most prestigious honor society in the liberal arts.

      Computer Science professor James Kurose will give the keynote address and English professor Ron Welburn will serve as the occasional poet.

      All members of the campus community are invited to attend the ceremony and reception.

Other events

      The School of Nursing will hold its pinning and hooding ceremony in the Fine Arts Center at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

      The Army/Air Force ROTC Joint Commissioning ceremony also will be held Saturday at 5 p.m. in Bowker Auditorium.

      The Isenberg School of Management Commencement celebration is set for Saturday at 5 p.m. in the Mullins Center, while the College of Engineering Commencement celebration will begin at 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center.

      Following the Undergraduate Commencement ceremony on Sunday, the School of Education Undergraduate Commencement celebration will take place at 1 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom.

      Several departments are also planning Commencement-related events.

      More information is available online (www.umass.edu/commencement/2003/celebrate.html).