Fall Quarter Commencement Set for Dec. 10

Jennifer Kutcher, president and CEO of Whatcom Educational Credit Union, will address Western Washington University graduates and their families in three fall Commencement ceremonies, Dec. 10 in Western’s Performing Arts Center Mainstage.

Approximately 675 undergraduates and about 31 master’s candidates will receive degrees this quarter. Admission is by ticket only, and each graduate will be allowed four tickets. Overflow seating also will be available on campus.

As Carver Gymnasium undergoes a $70 million renovation project, Commencement ceremonies will be held in the Performing Arts Center Mainstage.

Fall Commencement will include three ceremonies: At 9 a.m., students will graduate from the College of Fine and Performing Arts, Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, the American Cultural Studies Program, Huxley College of the Environment and Woodring College of Education. The noon ceremony will include graduates of the College of Science and Engineering, the College of Business and Economics and the Graduate School. At 3 p.m., students will graduate from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Additional viewing for the ceremony will be available in the Performing Arts Center Concert Hall, located in the same building as the Mainstage. Off campus, the ceremony will be broadcast on Whatcom County Comcast Cable Channel 26 and streamed live at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wwu-live-events1.

Kutcher, who will speak at all three ceremonies, is a 1997 graduate of Western who majored in Business Administration – Finance. She worked in a variety of leadership roles at Whatcom Educational Credit Union before she was named president and CEO in 2014. In addition to her work at WECU, Kutcher serves on the board of directors of the Western Foundation and previously served on the boards of the American Red Cross Northwest Washington Chapter and the United Way of Whatcom County. She volunteers as a virtual mentor and guest presenter for the College of Business and Economics and was recently a speaker in the CBE Executive Strategy Speaker Series.  

The 9 a.m. ceremony’s student Commencement speaker will be Jeremiah O’Brine, who is earning a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education. A graduate of Ferndale High School, O’Brine has had field experiences in elementary, middle and high schools throughout Whatcom County and has accepted a music teaching position at Little Mountain Elementary School in Mount Vernon.  

The student Commencement speaker for the noon ceremony will be Kayla Duskin, who is graduating with two degrees, a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics. Duskin, who also completed a minor in Computer Science, is part of Western’s Computer Science/Math Scholars Program and spent four months studying abroad in Nicaragua. She is a graduate of Shorewood High School in Shoreline.

The student Commencement speaker for the 3 p.m. ceremony will be Elijah Morgan, who is completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. Morgan graduated from Lynden High School and with honors from Whatcom Community College. He also volunteered as an after-school tutor at Bellingham High School and led several community workshops on the history and experiences of asexual and intersexual people.

All guests should be seated 20 minutes before the posted time of the ceremony. Doors open an hour before each ceremony. No food or drink is allowed in the Performing Arts Center.

Following the ceremony, graduates will have the opportunity to follow WWU tradition and deposit their Western identification cards in a box that later will be cemented into Memory Walk in front of Old Main.

Guest parking is free on Commencement day and available in most lots. Visitors must observe regulations for handicapped and individually reserved spaces. Guests are advised to arrive early to avoid traffic congestion and to allow for travel time between the parking lots and gym.

Shuttle bus service will be available from the 12A parking lot off South College Drive from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. or until there is no demand. One of the shuttle buses will be ADA-equipped and accommodate two wheelchairs. Guests who use wheelchairs may also park in lot 11G, adjacent to the Performing Arts Center, which will be reserved for accessible parking.

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.