Spring commencement set for Saturday, June 9

Western Washington University will award an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts at spring Commencement on June 9 to Do Ho Suh for his outstanding original and creative accomplishments in the fine arts. Suh is an internationally renowned artist who explores universal notions of home and migration, of individuality and strength in numbers, and of personal and public space.

Alumni Rick Anderson (’73, Accounting), Bob Watt (’72, Teaching Certificate) and Mike Bartanen (’74, B.A., History; ’76, M.A., Speech) will speak to graduates and their guests at three Commencement ceremonies at Western’s Carver Gymnasium.

Approximately 1,790 undergraduate and 210 master’s students are expected to graduate June 9. Admission is by ticket only, and each graduate will be allowed four tickets. Overflow seating also will be available on campus.

Anderson, the speaker at the 9 a.m. ceremony, is the CEO of Moss Adams, LLP, the largest accounting firm headquartered on the West Coast. He is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the WWU Alumni Association, as well as the recipient of the Distinguished Executive Award from the College of Business and Economics.

Watt, the speaker at the 12:30 p.m. ceremony, most recently worked as the Vice President for Global Corporate Citizenship and State and Local Government Relations at Boeing, and is now retired. Watt’s love of learning new things and his passion for early childhood education are common themes throughout his long career.

Bartanen, the speaker at the 4 p.m. ceremony, is the chair of the Department of Communication and Theatre at Pacific Lutheran University. Bartanen teaches courses in Conflict and Global Peace Building, Argumentation, Group Communication, Peace Journalism and Media and the World.

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 Sciences and Technology 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 will be 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.

Andrew Kangiser will speak at the 9 a.m. ceremony. Kangiser is graduating with a double major in Accounting and Finance and a minor in Economics. He was also a volunteer Accounting tutor and President of Western’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi. After studying for the CPA exams this summer, Kangiser will work for Grant Thornton this fall.

The 12:30 p.m. speaker will be Saraswati Noel, who graduates this summer Cum Laude as the Presidential Scholar from Woodring College of Education. At Western she discovered her love for teaching and working with all children, particularly historically marginalized and oppressed youth which is why she chose to study Secondary Math Education with a minor in Sociology.

Michael Pegis, the Outstanding Graduate for the Department of Chemistry, will speak at the 4 p.m. ceremony. Pegis’ achievements range from his award-winning poster during Western’s Scholars Week in spring 2011 to receiving the Paul Woodring and Oscar Olson scholarships in 2012. Pegis will be starting the University of Washington graduate program in July, and plans to earn his doctorate in Physical Inorganic Chemistry.

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. The College of Business and Economics will host a Beta Gamma induction ceremony and reception at 11:30 in Old Main. Fairhaven College will hold an additional ceremony 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. A reception for Woodring graduates will take place immediately following the second ceremony in the Miller Hall Collaborative Space.

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 Bill McDonald Parkway near Fairhaven College, but the buses cannot accommodate wheelchairs. The shuttle service begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 6:30 p.m. or until there is no demand. Guests in wheelchairs 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.