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Art Department Chair Charles Wright congratulates Victoria Gates during the Fall 2008 Commencement ceremony.

May 7, 2009

WIU Spring 2009 Commencement Weekend May 15-17; Macomb and Quad Cities

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL - - Ceremonies recognizing the academic and personal accomplishments of Western Illinois University students and alumni will be held Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16 in Macomb and Sunday, May 17 in the Quad Cities during Western's Spring 2009 Commencement Weekend.

More then 2,450 students - - including nearly 1,940 undergraduate and approximately 515 graduate students - - are eligible to participate in the Spring 2009 ceremonies.

Western Illinois University's Concert Band, conducted by Douglas Phillips, associate director of bands, will play for each Macomb ceremony. Two music students will perform the National Anthem throughout the six-ceremony weekend. They are senior Sarah Walker (Rock Island, IL), a music major with an option in music business, who is scheduled to graduate this summer; and Matthew Brown (Macomb), who will receive his Master of Music degree in vocal performance May 15.

Macomb Honors, Commissioning & Commencement Ceremonies
Events scheduled for Friday (May 15) include the following:
• The 2 p.m. Academic Honors Convocation in Western Hall, where College, Honors, and Departmental Scholars and students with academic distinction based on grade point average receive a medallion for each academic honor. Graduating senior Jamie Lee Hunzinger (Fox River Grove, IL) is the Convocation speaker. Walker will sing the National Anthem.
• The 4 p.m. military science department Army ROTC Commissioning to 2nd Lt. ceremony in the University Union Heritage Room.
• The 5:30 p.m. Graduate Hooding and Commencement Ceremony in Western Hall, where four advanced graduates will receive their Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership degree. Brown will sing the National Anthem.

Three Commencement ceremonies for undergraduate students will be held Saturday (May 16) in
Western Hall.
• The 9 a.m. ceremony will recognize candidates for graduation in the College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC) and in the College of Business and Technology (CBT). Walker will sing the National Anthem.

Marshals, who are graduating seniors selected from the top scholars in their academic disciplines, guide the graduating class and stage party from the processional to the recessional. They are:
Karen Elise Blatchley (Westmont, IL), communication major; Honors Scholar
Adam James Busard (Colchester, IL), COFAC College Scholar, Music (Bachelor of Music) Departmental Scholar, Honors Scholar;
Karen Danielle Durst (Quincy, IL) communication sciences and disorders major;
Jonathan Michael Kuhn (La Grange, IL), management major;
Kaylee Adrienne Menn (Carthage, IL), Agriculture Departmental Scholar;
Michelle C. Milstead (Lewistown, IL), agriculture major;
Kristin Ann Terwelp (Quincy, IL), Finance Departmental Scholar; and
Diana Elizabeth Wagenbach (Burlington, IA), CBT College Scholar, Management Departmental Scholar, Spanish Departmental Scholar and Honors Scholar

• The 1 p.m. ceremony will recognize candidates for graduation in the Board of Trustees – Bachelor of Arts degree program, the Interdisciplinary Studies Program and the College of Arts and Sciences. A Distinguished Alumni Award will be presented to Western's Distinguished Professor Emeritus John Hallwas, a 1967 and 1968 graduate in English, who served as an English professor and archivist at Western for 34 years, retiring in September 2004. In 1979, Hallwas added responsibilities as director of regional collections at the University Archives, a unit of the Western Illinois University Libraries, which complemented his emerging focus on American studies. Since the 1970s he has lectured widely in Illinois and the Midwest; and he is a prolific writer, having received top awards for his books and manuscripts. The inaugural WIU Young Alumni Excellence Award will be presented to Aundrea "Andi" Frieden, a 1996 political science and pre-law graduate, who is a partner with Gibbs & Bruns, LLP in Houston, TX. Currently a member of the Western Illinois University President's National Advisory Council, Frieden has been named a "Rising Star" by Legal Media's guide "Benchmark: Litigation" (2009); a "Texas Rising Star" by Texas Super Lawyers (2008-2009); and one of Houston's "Lawyers on the Fast Track" and “Professionals on the Fast Track” by H-Magazine (2004; 2008). Brown will sing the National Anthem.

Nikki Gray (Galesburg, IL), who has a double major in psychology and religious studies, will march as a religious studies major, which started at Western in Fall 2008. Gray will be the inaugural recipient of the Bachelor of Arts – Religious Studies.

A posthumous diploma for Dameris A. Bagwell, a 21-year old Bloomington (IL) native who was killed in a traffic accident Dec. 1, 2008 while traveling back to WIU, will be presented to her family. A journalism major and broadcasting minor, she was on track to graduate May 16.

Marshals are: Wardatou Boukari (Macomb), biology and French majors; French Departmental Scholar and Honors Scholar
Kayleigh Elizabeth Kluesner (Bartonville, IL), English major;
Rebecca Leverette (Cuba, IL), psychology and sociology majors;
Claire Victoria Overton (Wayland, IA), English major;
Kimberly Ann Schuneman (Elm Grove, WI), biology major; Honors Scholar
Kayla Jean Shipman (Carthage, IL), psychology major;
Chapman D. Waters (Lake Barrington, IL), Philosophy Departmental Scholar; and
Carla Mae Webb (Carthage, IL), CAS College Scholar, Computer Science Departmental Scholar, Mathematics Departmental Scholar and Honors Scholar.

• The 4 p.m. ceremony will recognize candidates for graduation in the College of Education and Human Services (COEHS). Brown will sing the National Anthem.

Marshals are: Carrie Jo Beam (Cuba, IL), special education major;
Mackenzie Marie Bell (Monticello, IL), elementary education major;
Mason M. Blacker (Saint Joseph, IL), COEHS College Scholar, Law Enforcement and Justice Administration Departmental Scholar, and Honors Scholar;
Alison Joy Dorsey (Wauconda, IL), Elementary Education Departmental Scholar;
Lenora K. Greenwaldt (Macomb), social work major;
Andrew J. Massey (Jacksonville, IL), law enforcement and justice administration major;
Amber Lynn Schafer (Bonfield, IL), Special Education Departmental Scholar; and
Kimberly Ann Slutz (Rock Island, IL), Social Work Departmental Scholar and Honors Scholar.

Quad Cities Commencement Ceremony
On Sunday (May 17) a combined undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate Commencement ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. at the i wireless Center, 1201 River Drive, Moline (IL). More than 210 degree candidates
(131 undergraduate, 82 graduate, 1 doctoral) are scheduled to march in this ceremony.

Western's Brass Ensemble will play at the Quad Cities ceremony. Members include sophomore Corey Brown (Winnebago, IL), euphonium; Professor Randall Faust, director of the ensemble, horn; sophomore Brett Hartigan (N. Aurora, IL), trumpet; sophomore Daniel Lesch (Chebanse, IL), tuba; sophomore Kathleen McGowan (Macomb), trombone; and senior Ryan Mills (Keokuk, IA), trumpet.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership
Five of six advanced graduates completing their Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership degree are scheduled to march in Commencement ceremonies.

The candidates in the Friday (May 15) Macomb graduate ceremony are:
• Michael L. Grady (Dixon, IL), "Constructive Mathematics Theory: The Effects of Everyday Mathematics on Sixth Grade Achievement on the Illinois Standards Mathematics Achievement Test," chaired by Associate Professor Sandra Watkins.
• Tami Jo Goehl Roskamp (Sutter, IL), "A Study of Cyber Bullying in Illinois Schools," chaired by Professor Donna McCaw.
• Mary N. Stanley-Parker (Delavan, IL), "The Present and Future Impact of Tax Caps on Small Rural, Illinois School Districts," chaired by Professor Emeritus Robert Hall.
• Patrick M. Twomey (Macomb), "An Analysis of Crisis Management Planning in Illinois Public Schools," chaired by Professor Greg P. Montalvo.

Walking in the Sunday (May 17) Quad Cities ceremony is:
• Ruth Ann Tobey-Brown (Davenport, IA), "Multiage Instructor's State Beliefs as Correlated with the Actual Level of Multiage Implementation," chaired by Associate Professor Dean Halverson.

Ceremony Protocol
Western Illinois Provost and Academic Vice President Jack Thomas will lead each Commencement ceremony, and President Al Goldfarb will confer degrees and make remarks to the graduating classes. Members of Western's Board of Trustees and the Alumni Association will participate; and 2009 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer James Caldwell, professor of music, will be recognized at each ceremony.

Live Broadcast/Web Stream
Western's University Television (UTV) will broadcast the Academic Honors Convocation and all Macomb Commencement ceremonies live on Macomb's Cable Channel 3. The Macomb ceremonies will also be streamed live on the web. A link to the web broadcast will be available from Western's homepage at wiu.edu during the time of the ceremonies.

DVDs and Photos
DVDs of the Macomb and Quad Cities ceremonies may be purchased through UTV, telephone
(309) 298-1880. Photographs of each graduate will be taken as they receive their diploma cover. Proof sheets will be mailed from Western's Visual Production Center to each graduate, with instructions for ordering photos.

Open Ceremonies; ADA Requests
Ceremonies are open to family and friends of the graduates. Tickets are not required; seating is on a first-come basis. Doors open 90 minutes before each ceremony.

An interpreter will sign each ceremony. Individuals needing special accommodations for the Macomb ceremonies should contact Western’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Access, telephone (309) 298-1977. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

Individuals needing special accommodations for the Quad Cities ceremony should contact Chris Brown at WIU-Quad Cities, (309) 762-9481, ext. 287 or MC-Brown2@wiu.edu. Office hours are 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays.

Hand Sanitation Stations
Hand sanitation stations will be available at Western Hall for Western Illinois University's Macomb Commencement ceremonies Friday (May 15) and Saturday (May 16), and at the i wireless Center in Moline for the WIU-Quad Cities Commencement ceremony Sunday (May 17).

Participants and attendees are encouraged to follow the recommendations listed on the WIU Pandemic Preparedness and Response website (wiu.edu/pandemic). For more information, visit wiu.edu/Commencement.

Copy By: Bonnie Barker, University Relations
Phone: (309) 298-1993 * Fax: (309) 298-1606