WWU Spring Quarter Commencement Set for June 13

BELLINGHAM – About 1,875 students will graduate from Western Washington University in three spring Commencement ceremonies that will take place in Carver Gymnasium June 13.

Main speakers will be Robin Russell (’81 and ’82), a finance and investment industry executive, Dick Thompson (’65), a retired state government executive, and Todd Lindley (’83), a financial planner.

About 1,740 undergraduate and135master’s students are expected to graduate from Western June 13. Admission is by ticket only, and each graduate will be allowed four tickets. Overflow seating also will be available on campus.

Russell, the speaker at the 9 a.m. ceremony, is a member of Western Washington University Foundation board of directors and former president of the Western Alumni Association. She has more than 25 years of experience in the finance, investment and estate planning industry. Most recently, she was a senior client adviser and team manager for Laird Norton Wealth Management, specializing in financial planning, investment management and estate planning for multi-generation families. She is also a member of the Children’s Hospital Advisory Council and a former board member of Camp Fire Central Puget Sound.

Thompson, the speaker at the 12:30 p.m. ceremony, is retired from a distinguished career in public service that has included key executive positions at universities, state agencies and nonprofit organizations. He served as director of Government Relations and interim director for Athletics at the University of Washington, led the departments of Community Development and Social and Health Services and the Office of Financial Management for the state of Washington, and served as president and chief professional officer for the United Way of King County. Today, he is a consultant specializing in state and local government issues.

Lindley, the speaker at the 4 p.m. ceremony, is a financial planner and owner of Lindley Financial Services in Montesano. Lindley specializes in comprehensive financial planning and oversees more than $100 million in client-invested assets. Lindley is also a longtime youth soccer coach in his community, who began learning about the game when he volunteered to coach his 6-year-old son’s team. He went on to coach both his children’s teams and several others and has taken four teams to state championships. Lindley and his wife, Gerrilynn, fund scholarships through the Grays Harbor Community Foundation and through the Western Alumni Association.

The 9 a.m. ceremony will include candidates from the College of Business and Economics, the College of Fine and Performing Arts, Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies and Huxley College of the Environment. At 12:30 p.m., candidates from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (Humanities Division) will graduate along with those from Woodring College of Education. At 4 p.m., the ceremony for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (Social Sciences Division) and the College of Science and Engineering will take place.

For those without tickets, the ceremonies will be broadcast in the Science, Mathematics and Technology Education (SMATE) building on large viewing screens. Off campus, the ceremony will be broadcast live on Whatcom County’s Comcast cable service channel 26 and streamed live at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wwu-live-events1.

In addition to the keynote speaker, a WWU student will speak at each commencement ceremony.

Christopher Quilici will speak at the 9 a.m. ceremony. Quilici will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre with concentrations in Acting and Dramatic Writing and a minor in Creative Writing. He was president of Student Theatre Productions and assistant director of “/faust,” a student-devised play that debuted this month. He is also a graduate of Mariner High School in Everett.  

The 12:30 p.m. speaker will be Nick Bolvin, who will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and a minor in Japanese. Bolvin is a graduate of South Whidbey High School and hopes to work in video game production. He aspires to challenge the antisocial stereotypes related to gaming and instead highlight the fact that video games are something that everyone can play.

Michala Dymond-Shaw will speak at the 4 p.m. ceremony. Dymond-Shaw is graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a minor in Economics. Outside of her studies at Western, she volunteered with elderly residents at St. Francis of Bellingham and worked with clients with developmental disabilities at Puffin Island LLC in Everson. A graduate of Kentlake High School, Dymond-Shaw will begin graduate school in Speech-Language Pathology at Western in the fall.  

Following WWU tradition, graduates will proceed to the path in front of Old Main after the completion of each ceremony, where they will pass through a corridor of faculty and deposit their Western identification cards in a box that is later cemented into Memory Walk.

There will be additional commencement-related ceremonies and gatherings during the afternoon.Fairhaven College will hold an additional graduation celebration at 1 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center Concert Hall.There will also be a celebration for Huxley graduates at 2 p.m. in the PAC Mainstage Theatre.

Guest parking is free on Commencement day and available in most lots. Visitors must observe regulations for disabled parking 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 beginning at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 6:30 p.m. or until there is no demand. There will be one ADA-equipped shuttle that will accommodate two wheelchairs. Guests in wheelchairs may take this shuttle or they may park in designated lots behind Miller Hall and Arntzen Hall. 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.