University of Idaho Commencement in Moscow
Friday, April 24 2009
April 24, 2009
Written by Joni Kirk
MOSCOW, Idaho – Approximately 1,301 students are eligible for graduation from the University of Idaho's Moscow campus on Saturday, May 16, at 9:30 a.m. The candidates have applied for 1,007 baccalaureate degrees, 84 law degrees, 22 doctoral degrees, three specialist degrees and 181 master’s degrees. Final graduation numbers will be available following the semester's end. Some students will have earned multiple degrees. This event marks the university’s 114th commencement ceremony in Moscow.
Statewide this spring, commencement ceremonies celebrate the accomplishments of 1,545 University of Idaho students who are eligible to graduate.
Idaho Congressman Walter C. “Walt” Minnick will deliver the commencement address. Minnick is serving his first term as the congressman from Idaho’s 1st Congressional District. He serves on the House Agriculture Committee, where he helps craft policy for Idaho farmers and helps oversee the U.S. Forest Service lands throughout Idaho and the West. He also serves on the House Financial Services Committee.
Honorary degrees will be granted to John Chapman, Gordon Law and Frederic “Fred” Johnson. Three alumni will be inducted into the Hall of Fame: Alma Winward, C. Scott Green and Robert L. Bunting. Marilyn Howard will receive the President's Medallion.
The University of Idaho's main commencement ceremony in Moscow will take place in the ASUI-Kibbie Activity Center. All degree candidates participating in the ceremony and faculty members, in their regalia, will meet at the Administration Lawn at 8 a.m. to form a procession to the ASUI-Kibbie Activity Center. In case of inclement weather, students and faculty are instructed to come to the Administration Lawn for directions. Led by bagpipes, the procession will begin at 8:30 a.m., and will move down University Avenue to the ASUI-Kibbie Activity Center, 1000 Stadium Way in Moscow.
The concession stand on the concourse of the ASUI-Kibbie Activity Center will be open for coffee and pastries before the ceremony. The Common Grounds coffee shop in the Idaho Commons also will be open for purchasing coffee and pastries throughout the day.
College celebrations for the graduates, their friends, family and faculty will be held immediately following the ceremony at the following locations:
• Agricultural and Life Sciences: Agricultural Biotechnology Building, Interaction Court, 604 Rayburn Street in Moscow.
• Art and Architecture: Prichard Art Gallery, 414 S. Main St., Moscow, at 2 p.m.
• Business and Economics: J. A. Albertson Building, 875 Campus Drive in Moscow.
• Education: Physical Education Building, Room 110, 1060 Rayburn Street in Moscow.
• Engineering: Tent on Seventh Street (south of the Engineering Building Complex) in Moscow.
• Law: ASUI-Kibbie Activity Center, 1000 Stadium Way in Moscow, after the 3 p.m. ceremony.
• Letters, Arts and Social Sciences: Memorial Gym, 1001 University Avenue in Moscow.
• Natural Resources: Natural Resources Building, West Lobby, 975 W. Sixth Street in Moscow.
• Science: Idaho Commons, Food Court, 875 S. Line Street in Moscow.
Honorary Degrees
Honorary degrees are awarded to a person deserving honor by virtue of scholarly distinction, noteworthy public service or significant contributions to the state. Three individuals will receive honorary degrees: John Chapman, doctor of humane letters; Gordon Law, doctor of administrative science; and Frederic “Fred” Johnson, doctor of natural resources.
• Chapman’s family roots reach deeply into University of Idaho history. His grandfather, Lafayette Russell Parsons, helped the youthful university mature by serving as comptroller of the institution and twice filling in as university president. Fifty years later, Chapman came to the University and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. Chapman has been a passionate benefactor of the university’s Martin Institute, a center for peace studies and conflict resolution, as well as the Martin School of International Studies. Both the Institute and School are named to honor Chapman’s mentor, Boyd Martin, who was one of the country’s most distinguished political scientists. Chapman has been a leading contributor to Martin’s vision for a political science teaching a researcher center at the University of Idaho and he has endowed a Chair of World Peace in the Martin Institute.
• Law came to the University of Idaho in 1962 to head the Department of Communication. His mission was to create a viable academic program in radio and television broadcasting and to address growing student interest in this field. Law advocated a practical, hands-on approach that allowed students to gain real-life experience. But, at that time, there were no professional broadcast outlets on campus. That changed under Law’s leadership. A year later, in December 1963, KUID-FM went on the air. It was the first educational FM radio station in Idaho. Now known as KRFA-FM, its signal is relayed across Washington, Oregon and Idaho as part of Northwest Public Radio. In 1965, Law received a federal grant for the construction of a television station and transmitter, and soon after, Idaho’s first public television station, KUID-TV, began broadcasting. Today, it has evolved into the statewide Idaho Public Broadcasting system.
• For more than half a century, Johnson has made outstanding contributions to forest ecology and botanical education and science. He served as a professor in the then-College of Forestry, Wildlife and Range Sciences at the University of Idaho from 1956-90. During his career, he influenced, inspired and educated generations of students who went on to careers as ecological scholars and leaders in national and international forest ecology and management. Johnson’s vision and expertise are broad, and radiate from his infectious enthusiasm to learn everything one can about plants. His interests range from the forest ecosystems in Idaho to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America. He has achieved scholarly distinction through his work on understanding the types of forest habitats, the ecological processes in ancient cedar groves and Pacific yew communities, and his knowledge of the plants of the northern Rockies. Johnson also is a distinguished alumnus: he earned a master’s degree in forestry from the University of Idaho in 1952.
Hall of Fame
The University of Idaho Alumni Association Hall of Fame was created in 1962. It recognizes individuals who have achieved national or international distinction through their accomplishments and leadership. Three individuals will be inducted: Alma Winward, C. Scott Green and Robert L. Bunting.
• Winward ’70 of North Ogden, Utah, has been involved in the advancement of rangeland research, teaching and management throughout the Intermountain West. He retired in 2003 from a 23-year career as regional ecologist for the Intermountain Region of the Forest Service where he led advancements in the understanding and management of riparian zone ecology. Prior to that, he was on the rangeland resources faculty at Oregon State University. Winward’s doctoral dissertation at Idaho contributed to the understanding of big sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata, in Idaho and throughout the West. “Dr. Al Winward is a national leader in range management,” said a colleague in support of his nomination to the University of Idaho Alumni Hall of Fame. “No one has had a more positive influence towards improving the riparian areas of the western U.S.”
• Green ‘85 of New York, N.Y., is executive director of WilmerHale, one of the world’s largest law firms. As executive director of the firm, he oversees the business operation that includes 1,400 employees at 10 offices in five countries. The firm generates annual revenues of $1 billion. He also is the author of two books on the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and has written numerous articles for academic and professional journals and magazines. Green earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting at Idaho and a master of business administration degree (MBA) from Harvard Business School. He served as ASUI president as an undergraduate, and the national president of University of Idaho Alumni Association in recent years.
• Bunting ’68 of Bainbridge Island, Wash., served as chief executive officer of Moss Adams, among the 11 largest accounting firms in the U.S., for 23 years before stepping down from that role in 2004. He currently is chair of Moss Adams’ International Services Group. He also is serving as president of the International Federation of Accountants, the global organization committed to the development of high quality international standards and the promotion of strong ethical values for the accountancy profession. He is only the second American to be elected to lead the worldwide organization. A native of Grangeville, he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting at Idaho in 1968.
President's Medallion
The President’s Medallion is presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to the cultural, economic, scientific and/or social advancement of Idaho and its people, and have provided exceptional service to the state or nation that has influenced the well-being of humankind.
• Marilyn Howard, teacher, principal and former Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction, will be awarded the President's Medallion. Howard has had a profound impact on the quality and effectiveness of Idaho public schools. She served two terms as Idaho’s Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1998-2007.
During her time in office, the State Department of Education focused on the improvement of Idaho’s public schools through the successful implementation of the Idaho Reading Initiative and directed support to school districts as they implemented new state curriculum standards and testing programs.
Howard began her career in education in the classroom, and her 28-year teaching career spanned grades kindergarten through high school. During her 10-year service as an elementary school principal in Moscow, she was instrumental in implementing up-to-date technology and educational standards, and incorporating service learning and career awareness into the school environment.
The University of Idaho is proud of Howard as a distinguished alumna. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and her master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Idaho. She received a doctoral degree in curriculum and instructional science at Brigham Young University, and has served as adjunct faculty for both Idaho State University and the University of Idaho.
Those parking on the east side of campus can access a shuttle to the Commons and the ASUI-Kibbie Activity Center. Following the commencement ceremony, shuttles will provide transportation to the individual college celebrations and will return to local hotels after these celebrations. Rayburn Street, immediately east of the ASUI-Kibbie Activity Center and the College of Law, will be closed to traffic. Additional disability parking will be provided for the event. More information about the Moscow commencement is available online at www.registrar.uidaho.edu/graduation/moscow-may.html.
Full commencement details are available online at the Registrar's Web site at http://www.uidaho.edu/commencement. Video copies of all 2009 University of Idaho commencement ceremonies can be ordered from the University of Idaho Video Production Center at www.its2.uidaho.edu/video/grad. The programs are available in DVD. For more information on purchasing a video, e-mail videoctr@uidaho.edu or call (208) 885-0569 ext. 1#.
College of Law
The College of Law, the university's only First Professional degree program, will hold its own graduation and celebration Saturday, May 16, beginning at 3 p.m. in the ASUI-Kibbie Activity Center, 1000 Stadium Way in Moscow. Law degree candidates will meet, dressed in regalia, on the front steps of Menard Law Building at 2:15 p.m.
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Justice N. Randy Smith will give the commencement address. Smith's distinguished legal career began in Idaho with the J.R. Simplot Company. He also served 13 years – nine as partner – with Merrill & Merrill, a Pocatello law firm. In 1995, he was elected district judge for Idaho's Sixth Judicial District. Smith was nominated by President George W. Bush to fill an Idaho vacancy on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in February 2007; the court hears appeals from the federal district courts of Alaska, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Smith lives and maintains chambers in Pocatello.
A reception will follow the college ceremony at the ASUI-Kibbie Activity Center, 1000 Stadium Way in Moscow. More information about the College of Law commencement is available online www.registrar.uidaho.edu/graduation/moscow-may.html.
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About the University of Idaho
Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s flagship higher-education institution and its principal graduate education and research university, bringing insight and innovation to the state, the nation and the world. University researchers attract nearly $100 million in research grants and contracts each year; the University of Idaho is the only institution in the state to earn the prestigious Carnegie Foundation ranking for high research activity. The university’s student population includes first-generation college students and ethnically diverse scholars. Offering more than 150 degree options in 10 colleges, the university combines the strengths of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu.
Media Contact: Joni Kirk, University Communications, (208) 885-7725, joni@uidaho.edu
About the University of Idaho
The University of Idaho helps students to succeed and become leaders. Its land-grant mission furthers innovative scholarly and creative research to grow Idaho's economy and serve a statewide community. From its main campus in Moscow, Idaho, to 70 research and academic locations statewide, U-Idaho emphasizes real-world application as part of its student experience. U-Idaho combines the strength of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. It is home to the Vandals. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu.