113th Commencement Caps Week of Celebrations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2003
Joe Wills
530-898-4143
113th Commencement Caps Week of Celebrations
Students’ hard work and determination will be rewarded this week in a series of graduation celebrations that conclude with California State University, Chico’s 113th Commencement Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25.
Approximately 3,000 students are expected to receive bachelor’s degrees over the weekend. The ceremonies should take roughly two hours and will be held at University Stadium, rain or shine. Tickets are not required for admission into the stadium for Saturday or Sunday.
Commencement for the 2003 graduating class of CSU, Chico will be as follows: The ceremony for graduating students in the Colleges of Agriculture, Behavioral and Social Sciences, and Humanities and Fine Arts as well as students in International Programs and Undergraduate Education will begin at 9 a.m. May 24. The ceremony for graduating students in the Colleges of Business, Communication and Education, Engineering, Computer Science and Technology, and Natural Sciences will begin 9 a.m. May 25.
Area business leaders and philanthropists Steve Nettleton and Judy Sitton will be Commencement speakers on May 24 and May 25, respectively. Nettleton and Sitton will be receiving honorary doctorates at the ceremonies.
Graduating student speakers during Commencement will be musical theatre major Emma Jessee, on Saturday, and biological sciences major Emily Cleland, on Sunday.
CSU, Chico will hold Commencement for master’s graduates in Laxson Auditorium on Friday, May 23, at 7 p.m. The master of ceremonies for this event will be Robert Jackson, dean of the School of Graduate, International and Sponsored Programs. Since this is the first year the ceremony will include graduates of the new masters of social work program, Professor Jan O’Donnell, masters of social work director, will serve as the honorary marshal.
Approximately 235 students representing all colleges on the campus will participate in the master’s graduates ceremony. There are no tickets remaining for the event. A reception on the Kendall Hall lawn will follow for graduates, their families and guests.
Manuel Esteban, president of CSU, Chico, will be the featured speaker at the spring credential ceremony Thursday, May 22, in Laxson. The ceremony, which honors prospective teachers who have completed their credential programs, begins at 6:30 p.m. Approximately 400 Multiple Subject, Single Subject, Bilingual Multiple or Single Subject, Special Education and Tri-placement/Multiple Subject candidates and Credential Interns will receive certificates of recognition. There are no tickets remaining for the event. A reception will follow the ceremony on the Kendall Hall lawn.
A number of celebrations for graduates also will take place Saturday. The child development program will hold a reception for graduating students in Modoc Hall 131 immediately following the undergraduate Commencement ceremony. The Black Commencement Celebration for African-American graduates will be at 1 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center 144, and Latino Commencement will be at 1 p.m. in Laxson. The School of Nursing will hold a Pinning and Candle lighting Ceremony for graduating students at California Park at 4 p.m. The College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology will have a Graduation Celebration Ceremony in Laxson at 4:30 p.m., with dinner afterward on the Kendall Hall Lawn at 6:30 p.m.
For more information about Commencement exercises, call the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at 530-898-6472.
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