Commencement is Saturday, March 19; alumnus Ron Bundy to speak
Ron Bundy, CEO of Russell Index Group of Russell Investments of Seattle, will address the winter commencement ceremony at Western Washington University at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 19, in Carver Gymnasium.
Approximately 530 undergraduates and 30 master’s candidates will receive degrees this quarter. Winter commencement includes all majors, and only one ceremony will take place.
Admission into the gymnasium will require a ticket. Each undergraduate and master’s candidate who has signed up to participate in the ceremony will be issued six tickets. Tickets are not required for guests who wish to watch the live televised ceremony in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education Building Room 150.
The ceremony’s main speaker, Ron Bundy, leads the Russell Index Group, which develops benchmarks used by millions to measure the performance of their investments. In addition to helping the Russell Index Group grow into a global leader in investment benchmarking, Bundy also spent two years in Tokyo as CEO of Russell Investments Japan.
Bundy, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Western in Business Administration-Marketing, got some early public speaking experience as president of a large student business club on Western’s campus. He will talk to graduates about the importance of persistence.
“This isn’t actually a bad time to be coming into the job market,” Bundy says. “But you have to earn it every day. You can’t assume that just because you got good grades or did a good job, that will carry you forward. As fast as the world’s moving, we have to give it our best every single day.”
Winter commencement’s student speaker will be graduating senior Sarah Olson, who will receive a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with two concentrations: International Business and Management Information Systems. A Langley native and graduate of South Whidbey High School, Olson will talk to her fellow graduates about the importance of finding their passions.
“Life is too short to neglect our passions,” she says. “Sometimes we need to push everything else aside and ask ourselves, ‘Will this make me truly happy?’ ”
Following commencement, graduates will proceed toward the stage for the memory walk, where they will pass through a corridor of faculty and the President’s party to deposit their Western identification cards in a time capsule.
Western’s 100,000th degree recipient graduated in the 2010-11 academic year. An honorary 100,000th degree recipient was recognized at the Fall 2010 commencement ceremony. And the entire 2010-11 graduating class will be recognized with a commemorative brick paver installed in the sidewalk in front of Old Main. Western began awarding degrees in 1933 and this recognition does not include certificates and other diplomas awarded prior to 1933.
Commencement parking is available at no cost in most lots. Visitors must observe regulations for handicapped and individually reserved spaces. Lot 14G will be reserved for faculty and staff. A shuttle service to Carver Gym will be available from the tent in lot 12A off Bill McDonald Parkway near Fairhaven College. The shuttle cannot accommodate wheelchairs. Guests in wheelchairs may park in Lot 17G on East College Way. Parking attendants will be available to assist guests with special parking needs.
For more information or for disability accommodations contact the Registrar’s Office, (360) 650-3701.