The graduate ceremony, including the conferral of 483 Masters, Juris Doctor, and Doctoral degrees will be Saturday, May 21 at 2:30 p.m. A ceremony honoring the history-making first 50 graduates of the UMass School of Law -- Dartmouth will be held Saturday, May 21 at 10 a.m. at the law school, 333 Faunce Corner Road, Dartmouth. The undergraduate ceremony, including the conferring of 1,589 Bachelors Degrees, will be Sunday, May 22 at 10:15 a.m.
MEDIA ADVISORY
May 19, 2011
CONTACT:
John Hoey
508.999.8027
508.264.5920
jhoey@umassd.edu
UMass Dartmouth will celebrate its 111th commencement exercises on May 21 and 22 in the Vietnam Veterans Peace Memorial Amphitheater at the main campus, 285 Old Wesport Rd., North Dartmouth. A total of 2,072 undergraduate and graduate degrees will be conferred.
The graduate ceremony, including the conferral of 483 Masters, Juris Doctor, and Doctoral degrees will be Saturday, May 21 at 2:30 p.m.
A ceremony honoring the history-making first 50 graduates of the UMass School of Law -- Dartmouth will be held Saturday, May 21 at 10 a.m. at the law school, 333 Faunce Corner Road, Dartmouth.
The undergraduate ceremony, including the conferring of 1,589 Bachelors Degrees, will be Sunday, May 22 at 10:15 a.m.
MEDIA CREDENTIALS
All media covering the UMass Dartmouth commencement are asked to have their media credentials visible when attempting to park or gain access to areas of the amphitheater. Media will be allowed to move freely around the amphitheater and campus grounds. Access is NOT ALLOWED to the stage or backstage.
HIGHLIGHTS
The graduate ceremony will include the first UMass School of Law degrees being awarded. The School of Law accepted its first students in the fall of 2010. The law school class of 2011 includes students who transferred from the Southern New England School of Law, which closed after donating its land, building, library holdings and other assets to UMass Dartmouth.
UMass President Jack Wilson, concluding his tenure at the helm of the 5-campus system and beginning his new job as president of the Edward M.Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate, will address the undergraduate commencement.
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Roderick Ireland will address the graduate commencement on Saturday.
FACTS ABOUT THE CLASS OF 2011
Number of degrees to be conferred: 1,589 undergraduate, 483 graduate
Undergraduate degrees by college: Arts and Sciences 600, Business -- 511, Engineering -- 186, Visual and Performing Arts -- 152, Nursing -- 140
Graduate degrees by college: Engineering -- 116, Business -- 96, Education/Public Policy/Civic Engagement -- 95, Arts and Sciences -- 68, Law -- 53, Visual and Performing Arts -- 26, Marine Science -- 16, Nursing -- 13.
Countries represented: 15
States represented: 21
Massachusetts communities represented: 251
PARKING
Parking for media is available in most campus lots. It is suggested that media park in lots near the Westport Road entrance for easy exit at the end of the ceremony.
ON THE WEB
Both ceremonies will be streamed live on the web and available via the UMass Dartmouth mobile app at www.umassd.edu.
For more information on the 2011 UMass Dartmouth Commencement exercises, visit http://www.umassd.edu/commencement.
ON THE RADIO
The undergraduate ceremony can be heard live on WUMD 89.3 FM.
RAIN PLAN
If the rain plan is activated on May 21, the GRADUATE ceremony will take place in the Tripp Athletic Center.
If the rain plan is activated on May 22, the main UNDERGRADUATE ceremony will take place in the Tripp Athletic Center with college ceremonies taking place in the following locations:
-- Arts and Sciences, Nursing -- Tripp Athletic Center
-- Charlton College of Business -- Main Auditorium
-- Engineering -- Woodland Commons
-- Visual and Performing Arts -- Campus Center
-- Notice will be provided by 7 a.m. at http://www.umassd.edu.
TRANSCRIPTS OF SPEECHES
The Public Affairs staff will make every effort to make available transcripts of speakers' remarks as they are able. When possible, these remarks will be posted at http://www.umassd.edu/communications/articles.
HONOREES
Chancellor's Medals
*Jack M. Wilson, President, University of Massachusetts
Under President Wilson, who came to office in 2003 pledging to make UMass campuses the catalysts for economic and social development in every region of the state, the University captured its first Nobel Prize (Dr. Craig Mello of the UMass Medical School) and established the state's first public law school (at UMass Dartmouth). In addition, UMass research has grown from $320 million to $541 million, institution-based financial aid from $36 million to $132 million, the endowment from $146 million to $507 million, and intellectual property revenue from $20 million to $41 million. President Wilson, who grew up in Pittsburgh, originally came to UMass to serve as CEO of UMassOnline, which has become one of the nation's leading providers of online higher education, now providing nearly 100 degree and certificate programs and serving 45,000 enrollees.
Prior to arriving at UMass, Wilson was the J. Erik Jonsson '22 Distinguished Professor of Physics, Engineering Science, Information Technology, and Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he held positions as Dean, Research Center Director, and Provost. President Wilson is currently Chair of the Commission on Innovation, Competitiveness and Economic Prosperity for the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU).
**Roderick L. Ireland, Chief Justice, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Appointed to the Supreme Judicial Court by Gov. William Weld in 1997, Justice Ireland was the first African-American Justice in the court's then 305-year history, and when appointed Chief Justice in 2010 by Gov. Deval Patrick he became the first African-American Chief Justice of the court.
A native of Springfield, Chief Justice Ireland began his legal career in 1969 as a Neighborhood Legal Services attorney, then worked as a public defender with the Roxbury Defenders Committee, as chief attorney, deputy director, and executive director. He was Assistant Secretary and Chief Legal Counsel for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Administration and Finance, and Chair of the Massachusetts Board of Appeals on Motor Vehicle Liability Policies and Bond. Justice Ireland is also known as a tireless mentor for young lawyers, and has been a pivotal figure in the Council for Legal Education, which works to expand opportunities for minority and low-income students to attend law school. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Lincoln University the same school attended by Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall; and later earned his law degree from Columbia Law School; Master of Laws from Harvard Law School; and Doctor of Philosophy in Law, Policy, and Society from Northeastern University.
**John Farrington, Dean, School of Marine Science and Technology
Dr. John Farrington was named dean of the UMass Dartmouth School of Marine Science and Technology in 2009, following a lengthy career at the McLean Laboratory at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. His appointment at SMAST closed a professional and academic loop that began when he earned his undergraduate degree and graduate degrees from UMass Dartmouth in 1966 and 1968, respectively. Dr. Farrington, a scientist of international renown, was awarded the distinction of American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow in 2010 for his "distinguished contributions to the field of biogeochemistry and organic geochemistry of the oceans and for leadership in graduate education in oceanography." He lists more than 90 scientific publications and 15 publications in the lay press on research interests that include marine organic geochemistry, biochemistry of marine organisms, and environmental quality issues. He has served on committees and panels for international, national, and local organizations including the UNESCO-Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, National Academy of Sciences, National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Lloyd Center for Environmental Studies, and Bermuda Biological Station for Research (Trustee). He has participated in four major field programs and 18 oceanographic cruises, eight as chief scientist.
Honorary Degrees
*Janine Benyus, Founder and President, Bio-Mimicry Institute
Janine Benyus is a natural sciences writer, innovation consultant, and author of six books, including her latest − Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. In Biomimicry, she names an emerging discipline that seeks sustainable solutions by emulating nature's designs and processes (e.g., solar cells that mimic leaves, agriculture that models a prairie, businesses that run like redwood forests). Benyus has cultivated a deep knowledge of the natural world, beginning with direct observation in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, continuing in habitats from Maine to West Virginia where she worked as a backcountry guide, and now, in her home wilds of Montana. In addition to her biomimicry work, she teaches interpretive writing, lectures at the University of Montana, and works towards restoring and protecting wild lands. She serves on a number of land use committees in her rural county.
*David MacKenzie, Conductor/Music Director
Dr. David MacKenzie is conductor and music director of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. Under this leadership the NBSO has placed the world's finest music at the center of the cultural life of the SouthCoast community. Not only performing concerts at the highest level of professional standards, Dr. MacKenzie and his orchestra provide educational programs for children and listeners of all ages to deepen their enjoyment and understanding of music and make it a part of their daily lives. The educational outreach programs include SchoolsMusic!, an in-school performance by NBSO musicians, the New Bedford Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Catholic Schools String Program, Pre-Concert Talks by MacKenzie, and Master Classes, where guest artists performing with the NBSO meet with local students and provide them with musical instruction. In addition to his duties with the NBSO, Dr. MacKenzie is resident Conductor of Rogue Opera in Oregon and Music Director of Mastersingers by the Sea on Cape Cod, and is much in demand as a guest conductor with orchestras in the United States and South America. His more than 30 years of experience as a conductor spans the gamut of orchestral and choral music, opera and musical theater, and ballet.
*Richard Ward (posthumously), Dean of College of Business
Dr. Richard Ward who passed away in 2010, was the Dean of Business at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, who served his nation as a naval officer and liaison to Jordan, and his university as an administrator and post-retirement volunteer extraordinaire. An economist, professor, academic administrator, and perpetually aspiring writer, Dr. Ward was author of several books in economics and published reviews in numerous professional journals. He wrote three memoirs Grandpas are for all Seasons, The Fragrance of Heliotrope -- for his late wife, Cecilia Butler Ward -- and My Last Dungarees, an autobiographical retrospective. Dr. Ward was awarded the Distinguished Service Citation for his work in Jordan for U.S. Agency for International Development. His papers on the Middle East are in the archives of The Middle East Center, St. Anthony's College, Oxford University, England. A veteran of World War II, he served as Division Leader and Executive Officer on the U.S.S. Gage, retiring as a U.S. Navy Lieutenant. He and his shipmates were in the Pacific during the massive invasion of Okinawa. An archive of his sketches, titled "Doodles," has been featured at Gallery X, an art gallery in New Bedford. Later in life, he participated in the mentoring program at The Nativity Prep-School in New Bedford, was a President of the UMass Dartmouth Retirement Association, and served on the Advisory Board of Gallery X. He was also an Advisor to the SHARE Foundation program and frequent lecturer at the Dartmouth Council on Aging programs.
STUDENT SPEAKERS
**Michaela Bileau
Michaela Bileau of Woonsocket, Rhode Island will be awarded her Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Psychology. She earned two graduate assistant positions, one in the Office of Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution and the other in the Office of Student Accessibility Services. She is employed as a Senior Milieu Therapist at Bradley Hospital in East Providence, where she works with young children diagnosed with autism. She also volunteers her time to serving low-income urban youth from Rhode Island's disadvantaged communities by counseling them about career aspirations, academic success and personal growth. Upon graduation from UMass Dartmouth, she plans to continue her work at Bradley Hospital and is eager to participate in initiatives that better serve our community.
*Ana-Maria Bell
Ana-Maria Bell of New Bedford is an English major who has won multiple writing awards and earned a scholarship for outstanding academic achievement. She has achieved Chancellor's List honors for four semesters. She is a five-time orientation leader, senior tutor at the Writing Center, past co-President of the Social Change Society, and coordinator of the Conversation Partner Program. She has also participated in the Theater Company's Broadway Revue, Relay for Life and Sustainability Initiative. She was chosen to speak at Commencement from an exceptional field of student nominees by a panel of students, faculty and staff.
* - At undergraduate ceremony
** - At graduate ceremony