June 3, 2004
Graduates converge for commencement
About 12,000 students will receive their degrees and stroll toward the future in University of Washington commencement exercises this month that will feature two two-time Pulitzer Prize-winners, an author-activist and an astronaut. This year’s will be the 129th commencement for the UW’s Seattle campus.
Outgoing UW President Lee L. Huntsman will officiate at the commencement exercises in Seattle, scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, June 12, at Husky Stadium, and at UW Bothell’s event at 2 p.m. the following day. Acting UW Provost David Thorud will officiate at the Tacoma branch’s commencement event on Friday, June 11.
At the Seattle campus commencement, graduates will begin lining up at noon and the academic procession will begin at
1:30 p.m. About 4,400 graduates are expected to attend and about 10,685 degrees will be awarded before an audience of about 38,000 family members and guests.
Degrees will be awarded to those who have completed academic requirements some time during the 2003-2004 academic year. The ceremony is expected to take about two and a half hours, but could be shortened in the event of inclement weather.
The commencement speaker for the Seattle commencement exercises will be two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson, author of Fences, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and The Piano Lesson.
The Alumna Summa Laude Dignata Award, the highest honor bestowed by the UW to an alumnus or alumna, will be presented at the Seattle ceremonies to astronaut and UW alumnus Bonnie Dunbar. A veteran of five space flights, Dunbar has logged about 1,200 hours (50 days) in space in missions in 1985, 1990, 1992, 1995 and 1998. She is currently NASA’s assistant director for university research and affairs.
Other recipients of special honors to be acknowledged at the UW’s Seattle commencement include: the Outstanding Public Service Award, Distinguished Teaching Awards, Excellence in Teaching Awards and the President’s Medals — presented to two graduating seniors with the most distinguished academic record.
Members of the Board of Regents, deans and other representatives of the University’s 17 colleges and schools will participate in the Seattle ceremony. University officials also will be present at the Tacoma and Bothell ceremonies.
Many of the colleges and schools also have separate graduation programs and investiture ceremonies. Complete information is available at http://depts.washington.edu/commence/.
UW Tacoma’s ceremonies will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, June 11 in the Tacoma Dome. Commencement speaker is David Horsey, Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Steven G. Olswang, interim chancellor of UW Tacoma, will present baccalaureate degrees; Elizabeth Feetham, acting dean of the Graduate School, will present graduate degrees.
The Tacoma ceremony also will spotlight a recipient of the Outstanding Student Award for academic achievement. Beth Kalikoff, assistant professor of interdisciplinary arts and sciences, will be recognized as the recipient of the UW Tacoma’s Distinguished Teaching Award. UW Tacoma will award 840 bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
UW Bothell will hold ceremonies at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 13, in the Bank of America Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on the UW campus in Seattle. The Commencement speaker is Paul Rogat Loeb, social activist and author of Nuclear Culture and other books and articles. Warren W. Buck, chancellor and dean of UW Bothell will present the graduates. Dean’s Medals will be awarded to outstanding students in the Class of 2004. The Distinguished Teaching Award will be given to Alan Wood, professor of interdisciplinary arts and sciences. UW Bothell will award bachelor’s and master’s degrees to 670 students.
