Western Washington University will graduate about 470 students Saturday in Summer Commencement ceremony

Western Washington University alumnus Brett Jordan, manager of Internal Audit at Russell Investments in Seattle, will address WWU graduates and their families at the summer commencement ceremony Aug. 25 at 10 a.m. in Carver Gymnasium.

About 445 undergraduate and 35 master’s students are expected to graduate from Western summer quarter. There will be one ceremony for all graduates and no tickets are required to attend the ceremony in Carver Gymnasium. Overflow seating will be available on campus.

Jordan, the keynote speaker, is a 2007 accounting graduate of Western who grew up in Bellingham. As Russell Investments’ Audit manager, Jordan oversees the team that conducts operational, regulatory and financial audits of the 80-year-old Seattle-based firm that manages $296 billion in investments around the globe. He also leads the firm’s international audit practice for Russell’s offices in Asia. In addition, Jordan is treasurer of the Municipal League of King County and a member of the WWU Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Also speaking at the ceremony will be Rebekah Way, who is earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in journalism with a news editorial emphasis, and a minor in music. Way, a graduate of Lynnwood High School, was a writer and editor for WWU student publications, a disc jockey and Specialty Music director for KUGS-FM, and a musician in Western’s Big Band and Jazz Combo groups. She’s also a reporting intern at KNKX public radio.   

Doors to Carver open at 9 a.m., an hour before the ceremony, and all guests should be seated 20 minutes before the scheduled start.

Overflow seating will be available adjacent to Carver in Western’s Science Math and Technology Education building, where the ceremony will be shown on large screens. The ceremony will also be streamed live at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wwu-live-events1.

Following the ceremony, graduates will have the opportunity to follow WWU tradition and deposit their Western identification cards in a box that is later 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. Visitors are also advised to arrive early to avoid traffic congestion and to allow for travel time between the parking lots and Carver.

Shuttle bus service will be available from the 12A parking lot off South College Drive from 8 a.m. to noon or until there is no demand. One of the shuttle buses will be ADA-equipped and will accommodate two wheelchairs. Guests who use wheelchairs may also park in lot 17G and 11G, 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, commencement@wwu.edu.