The University of Colorado at Boulder will confer 1,177 degrees during the university's final summer commencement ceremony Saturday, Aug. 10, at 8:30 a.m. on the Norlin Quadrangle.
Last winter, the Council of Deans, associate deans, Chancellor Richard L. Byyny and the commencement committee agreed to eliminate the CU-Boulder August commencement ceremony beginning in 2003, according to Jeanne McDonald, commencement coordinator.
"This decision was made due to the low number of participants we have had at the August ceremony," McDonald said.
Students will still graduate in the summer, however. In the future, summer graduates will have the option of participating in the May or December commencement ceremonies.
A total of 822 bachelor's degrees, 227 master's degrees, 125 doctoral degrees and three law degrees will be awarded this summer.
CU-Boulder law Distinguished Professor Charles Wilkinson will give the commencement address. Wilkinson is widely known for championing American Indian and western environmental legal issues, and has authored 12 books and a long list of articles and essays on law, history and society in the American West. He is the Moses Lasky Professor of Law and one of only 19 faculty with the title of distinguished professor at CU-Boulder.
During the ceremony, Wilkinson also will receive the Hazel Barnes Prize, CU-Boulder's highest recognition for teaching and research. He is the 11th Hazel Barnes Prize recipient.
Richard Hieb, an astronaut who flew three Space Shuttle missions and logged more than 750 hours in space, will receive an honorary doctor of science degree during the ceremony. Hieb received a master's degree in aerospace engineering from CU-Boulder in 1979. He is one of 15 CU-Boulder alumni who have become astronauts in NASA's space program.Ìý
Hieb now works at Lockheed Martin Space Operations as the vice president and program manager of the science, engineering, analysis and test contract at Johnson Space Center.
Geraldine Bean will receive the University Medal for her leadership and commitment to CU and the Boulder community. Bean, who earned bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from CU-Boulder in history, was elected to the CU Board of Regents in 1972. She was only the sixth woman in the school's then 96-year history to serve as a regent.
Bean now serves as the Phi Beta Kappa chapter secretary at CU-Boulder.
Guests of the commencement ceremony are requested to be in their seats by 8:15 a.m. to watch the student processional.
The university commencement ceremony is free and open to the public. No tickets are required for the ceremony, so early arrival guarantees the best choice of seating.
To close the ceremony, CU President Elizabeth Hoffman will read the traditional Norlin Charge - the words from a speech given by former CU President George Norlin to the graduating class of 1935.
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