Colorado State University to Hold Spring Commencement Ceremonies May 13 and 14

Colorado State University will confer degrees on spring 2011 graduates at commencement ceremonies May 13 and 14.

College ceremonies and two ROTC commissionings will recognize 2,770 undergraduates, 133 professional veterinary medicine students and 802 graduate students, of which 64 are doctoral students. Fifty-one students will graduate summa cum laude, 95 will graduate magna cum laude and 225 will graduate cum laude.

Commencement ceremonies, with the exception of the ROTC commissionings, will be webcast live at commencement.colostate.edu.

Colorado State will confer three honorary doctoral degrees on Pat Stryker, Alice Wallace and Edward Warner at commencement ceremonies May 13 and 14.

“We award traditional, academic doctoral degrees based on a substantial contribution to the person’s field – symbolic of the transformative impact we believe our graduates will have over the span of their careers,” said Colorado State President Tony Frank. “We award honorary doctorates to those who have also had a transformative impact, either through their professional achievements or philanthropy. This year’s degree recipients have each had a profound, transforming impact on Colorado State University.”

Frank will award the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa, to Stryker in recognition of her accomplishments to the advancement of knowledge and artistry as well as to society. Stryker will receive her degree at Colorado State’s College of Liberal Arts commencement ceremony at 7:30 p.m. May 14 in Moby Arena.

Frank will award the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa, to Wallace in recognition of her accomplishments as a lifetime humanitarian and work to advance education, fairness and equality for all during the College of Applied Human Science’s commencement ceremony at 7:30 p.m. May 13 in Moby Arena.

Frank will award the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa, to Warner in recognition of his unprecedented contributions to the university and his dedication to serving mankind through his tireless work as a scientist, educator and philanthropist. Warner will receive his degree at the Warner College of Natural Resources’ commencement ceremony at 9 a.m. May 14 in CSU’s Lory Student Center Main Ballroom.

Commencement speakers for this year’s ceremonies include the following.

– Gen. Kevin Chilton, retired Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, will speak at the College of Agricultural Sciences’ commencement ceremony at noon May 14 at Moby Arena. Chilton, USAF, is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Columbia University Guggenheim Fellow. He served as Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base where he was responsible for the plans and operations for all U.S. forces conducting strategic deterrence and Department of Defense space and cyberspace operations. A distinguished graduate from the U.S. Air Force pilot training and test pilot schools, he flew operational assignments in the RF-4C and F-15 and weapons testing in the F-4 and F-15. Chilton also served 11 years at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and commanded STS-76, his third space shuttle mission.

– Joe Blake, chancellor of the Colorado State University System, will speak at the College of Applied Human Sciences’ commencement ceremony at 7:30 p.m. May 13 at Moby Arena. Blake is a Colorado native and was the longtime head of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, where he served as the president and CEO for nearly a decade. His career has been centered on statewide leadership and stewardship of Colorado’s economy, competitiveness and business climate. A priority for Blake is to marshal the leadership in higher education and around the state to begin working toward sustainable funding solutions for public higher education. He was named chancellor of the CSU System in May 2009. He officially took the helm as the first sole chancellor for the CSU System on July 1, 2009. Blake oversees a three-campus system of two traditional campuses and an online campus.

– Bill Ritter Jr., director of CSU’s Center for the New Energy Economy, will speak at the College of Engineering commencement ceremony at 11:30 a.m. May 13 at Moby Arena. Ritter was elected as Colorado’s 41st governor in 2006 — the first Colorado-born governor in more than 35 years During his four-year term, he established Colorado as a national and international leader in renewable energy by building a New Energy Economy that is creating thousands of new jobs and establishing hundreds of new companies; enacted an aggressive business-development and job-creation agenda that is focused on knowledge-based industries of the future, such as energy, aerospace, biosciences, information technology and tourism; initiated sweeping K-12 education reforms to give Colorado children the skills and knowledge they need to compete and succeed in a 21st century global economy; and improved access to quality and affordable health care for many of the 800,000 Coloradans who lack health coverage.

– Temple Grandin, professor of animal sciences, will speak at the College of Natural Sciences’ commencement ceremony at 3:30 p.m. May 14 at Moby Arena. Grandin obtained her bachelor’s degree at Franklin Pierce College, earned her master’s in Animal Science at Arizona State University and was awarded her doctorate in Animal Science from the University of Illinois in 1989. Grandin’s achievements are remarkable because she was an autistic child. She has done extensive work on the design of handling facilities. Half the cattle in the U.S. and Canada are handled in equipment she has designed for meat plants. She has published several hundred industry publications, book chapters and technical papers on animal handling plus 45 refereed journal articles in addition to seven books and has received numerous awards including the Meritorious Achievement Award from the Livestock Conservation Institute, the Beef Top 40 industry leaders and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Her work has also been recognized by humane groups. HBO has recently premiered a movie about Grandin’s early life and career with the livestock industry. The movie received seven Emmy awards.

– Ed Warner, geologist and philanthropist, will speak at the Warner College of Natural Resources’ commencement ceremony at 9 a.m. May 14 at the Lory Student Center Main Ballroom. Throughout his career as a highly successful geologist in the natural gas industry, Warner has always credited his experience as an undergraduate student in geosciences at Colorado State. He graduated in 1968 and proudly proclaims his love for his alma mater and the "Dutch uncles" on the faculty who gave him the professional and personal guidance he needed to succeed. After earning a master’s degree in Geology from UCLA, Warner worked for Shell Oil Company, Amoco and Energetics Inc., before becoming president and owner of Denver-based Expedition Oil Company Inc. in 1982. While with Expedition, he discovered methods for extracting natural gas from the Jonah and Pinedale fields in central Wyoming. Warner’s landmark discoveries allowed him to embark on a philanthropic journey that has provided millions of dollars in support for his favorite causes. His greatest gift was a $30 million donation to Colorado State – largest in the university’s history – and led to the renaming of the College of Natural Resources in his honor. His unprecedented gift created two endowed chairs, supports geosciences research and graduate teaching assistantships, and established the Center for Collaborate Conservation.

The following is a list of CSU commencement ceremony starting times and locations for each ceremony.

May 13

– Professional Veterinary Medicine, 8 a.m., Moby Arena

– Air Force ROTC Commissioning, 8:30 a.m., Lory Student Center North Ballroom

– Army ROTC Commissioning, 10 a.m., Lory Student Center Theatre

– College of Engineering, 11:30 a.m., Moby Arena

– Graduate School, 3 p.m., Moby Arena

– College of Applied Human Sciences, 7:30 p.m., Moby Arena

– College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, 7:30 p.m., Lory Student Center Main Ballroom

May 14

– College of Business, 8 a.m., Moby Arena

– Warner College of Natural Resources, 9 a.m., Lory Student Center Main Ballroom

– College of Agricultural Sciences, noon, Moby Arena

– College of Natural Sciences, 3:30 p.m., Moby Arena

– College of Liberal Arts, 7:30 p.m., Moby Arena

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