114th Commencement Highlights Graduation Celebrations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2004
CONTACT: Joe Wills
Tel: 530-898-4143
114th Commencement Highlights Graduation Celebrations
A special moment of satisfaction and accomplishment comes for several thousand students next week as California State University, Chico’s 114th Commencement highlights a series of graduation ceremonies.
Approximately 3,000 students are expected to receive bachelor’s degrees on Saturday, May 22, and Sunday, May 23, in University Stadium. The ceremonies should take roughly two hours each, and will be held rain or shine. Tickets are not required for admission.
Commencement for the 2004 graduating class of CSU, Chico will be as follows: The ceremony for graduating students in the Colleges of Business, Communication and Education, Engineering, Computer Science and Technology, and Natural Sciences will begin at 9 a.m. May 22. 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 23.
Alumnus, writer, and filmmaker Kelly Candaele will be the featured speaker at both weekend Commencement ceremonies. Candaele received a master’s degree in psychology from CSU, Chico in 1980. Since then he has written extensively for the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, The Nation and other national publications. Candaele has produced and directed a number of documentary films. He won an Emmy for “A League of Their Own,” about his mother’s years as a professional baseball player in the 1940s. He also wrote the story for the feature film of the same title.
Honorary doctorates will be awarded to alumni Marshall L Ginter and Glen O. Toney at Commencement. Ginter, a prolific scholar and well-respected consultant, is a professor at the Institute for Physical Science and Technology at the University of Maryland. Toney is the former vice president of Applied Materials and long-time member and former president of the Alumni Association. Both have been honored as Distinguished Alumni by the university.
Matthew Rahn, a construction management major in the College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology, will be the student speaker at Saturday’s Commencement. Melissa Houston, a business major speaking on behalf of undergraduate education and the university honor’s program, will be Sunday’s speaker.
CSU, Chico will hold Commencement for master’s graduates in Laxson Auditorium on Friday, May 21, at 7 p.m. Approximately 250 graduates-a record number-are participating in the event. Guest tickets are extremely limited. Inquiries about attending the event should be directed to the Graduate School, 898-6880. The student speaker will be Sharon May, who is receiving an M.F.A. in creative writing. May’s writing is informed by her work in the 1980s teaching English in Cambodian refugee camps. Her short stories have appeared in national and international literary journals and have been cited in “Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards” and the Pushcart Prize anthologies.
A number of celebrations for graduates also will take place. The Education Recognition Ceremony will be held in Laxson Auditorium on Thursday, May 20, at 6:30 p.m. The annual nurses pinning ceremony will be on Friday, May 21, at 7 p.m. at the BMU Auditorium. Also on Friday, the College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology will have a Graduation Celebration Ceremony in Laxson Auditorium, 3-5 p.m, with a reception immediately following. On Saturday, May 22, The Black Commencement Celebration for African-American graduates will be at Harlen Adams Theatre at 1 p.m., and the Latino Graduation Celebration will be at Laxson Auditorium at 1 p.m. An open house for the child development program will be held on Sunday, May 23, at Modoc 131 directly following the undergraduate Commencement ceremony.
For more information about Commencement exercises, call the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at 898-6472.
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