Who's speaking at graduation? Options

[Hartmann]

Does anyone know who is speaking at graduation? I am trying to decide if I want to walk, go, or just sleep-in.

[Seeker]

i'm speaking

[Hartmann]

i'm speaking

then I'll be sleeping in.... or if I came, I'd be sleeping in the audience.



Oh, I'm so funny...

[Tygriss]

isn't spring graduation ceremonies longer than fall's? last semester's was shorter than i expected, but it was hella early in the a.m. more than enough reason to sleep in.

[Spectatrix]

after my undergraduate graduation debacle, no way in hell am I walking for my MS. I might walk if I get a PhD, though.

[Seeker]

then I'll be sleeping in.... or if I came, I'd be sleeping in the audience.



Oh, I'm so funny...

[Wendi]

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/provost/commencement_speaker.php

Commencement Speakers
Graduate School Commencement Friday, May 12, 2006, 6:00 p.m.
Shelby Hunt
Dr. Shelby D. Hunt

Shelby D. Hunt is the Jerry S. Rawls and P. W. Horn Professor of Marketing at Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas. 

A past editor of the Journal of Marketing (1985-87), he is the author of numerous books, including Foundations of Marketing Theory: Toward a General Theory of Marketing (M.E. Sharpe, 2002), Controversy in Marketing Theory: For Reason, Realism, Truth, and Objectivity (M.E. Sharpe, 2003), and A General Theory of Competition: Resources, Competences, Productivity, Economic Growth (Sage Publications, 2000). 

One of the 250 most frequently cited researchers in economics and business (Thompson-ISI), he has written numerous articles on competitive theory, macromarketing, ethics, channels of distribution, philosophy of science, and marketing theory. 

Three of his Journal of Marketing articles, "The Nature and Scope of Marketing" (1976), "General Theories and Fundamental Explananda of Marketing" (1983), and, with Robert M. Morgan, "The Comparative Advantage Theory of Competition" (1995), won the Harold H. Maynard Award for the "best article on marketing theory." The "Comparative Advantage Theory" article also won the 2004 Sheth Foundation/ Journal of Marketing award for its "long term contributions to the field of marketing."  His 1985 Journal of Business Research article with Lawrence B. Chonko, "Ethics and Marketing Management," received the 2000 Elsevier Science Exceptional Quality and High Scholarly Impact  award.  His 1989 article, "Reification and Realism in Marketing: in Defense of Reason," won the Journal of Macromarketing Charles C. Slater Award.  His 1994, "Commitment and Trust," Journal of Marketing article, with Robert M. Morgan, was the most highly cited article in economics and business in the 1993-2003 decade (Thomson-ISI).

For his contributions to theory and science in marketing, he received the 1986 Paul D. Converse Award from the American Marketing Association, the 1987 Outstanding Marketing Educator Award from the Academy of Marketing Science, the 1992 American Marketing Association/Richard D. Irwin Distinguished Marketing Educator Award, and the 2002 Society for Marketing Advances/Elsevier Science Distinguished Scholar Award.
Undergraduate Commencement, Saturday, May 13, 2006, 9:00 a.m. Ceremony
Margaret Spellings
Margaret Spellings, U.S. Secretary of Education

On January 20, 2005, the United States Senate confirmed Margaret Spellings as the 8th U.S. Secretary of Education.

During President George W. Bush's first term, Spellings served as Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy where she helped craft education policies, including the No Child Left Behind Act. She was also responsible for the development and implementation of White House policy on immigration, health, labor, transportation, justice, housing, and other elements of President Bush's domestic agenda.

Prior to her White House appointment, Spellings worked for six years as Governor George W. Bush's Senior Advisor with responsibility for developing and implementing the Governor's education policy. Her work included the Texas Reading Initiative, the Student Success Initiative to eliminate social promotion, and the nation's strongest school assessment and accountability system. She also made recommendations to the Governor for key gubernatorial appointments. Previously, Spellings served as associate executive director of the Texas Association of School Boards.

Born in Michigan, Spellings moved with her family at a young age to Houston, Texas, where she attended public schools. She graduated from the University of Houston with a bachelor's degree in political science.

As the mother of two daughters, one school-age and one college-age, Spellings has a special understanding of the issues facing parents and students today. Her daughter Mary is a freshman in college, and her daughter Grace attends a public middle school. Spellings is the first mother of school children to serve as U.S. Secretary of Education.
Undergraduate Commencement, Saturday, May 13, 2006, 1:30 p.m. Ceremony
Dr. Donald R. Haragan
Dr. Donald R. Haragan

President Emeritus, Donald R. Haragan, has served Texas Tech University as Professor, Department Chair, Dean, Provost and President since 1969, the same year he completed his doctoral studies in Civil Engineering at the University of Texas. He founded the Atmospheric Science Program in 1970 and was instrumental in the cooperative efforts that led to the establishment of the Wind Science and Engineering Institute at Texas Tech.

As Provost for ten years and President for five years, he is credited with molding much of the current administrative and academic structure at the university including the establishment of the University Honors College, the International Cultural Center, the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, the University Writing Center, the Texas Tech Press, and the Texas Tech Regional Centers in Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio. His research accomplishments are in the area of water resources and conservation with a focus on global precipitation climatology.

Dr. Haragan is a native of Houston. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Engineering at the University of Texas and his Master of Science degree from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. He was named a Distinguished Graduate of the College of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin in 2001 and in 2003 became a charter member and member of the Board of Directors of the Civil and Architectural Engineering Academy of Distinguished Graduates at the University of Texas. He is married to the former Willie O’Berry, also a UT graduate, and has two grown daughters.
Law School Commencement Speaker, Saturday, May 13, 2006, 6:30 p.m.
John Cornyn
Senator John Cornyn

John Cornyn, of San Antonio, is a voice for Texas values in Washington. He was sworn in to the U.S. Senate on December 2, 2002, succeeding Phil Gramm.

Sen. Cornyn continues to take a leading role on many issues in the Senate. He is committed to bolstering America’s national defense and homeland security, working to strengthen the economy and grow jobs, making health care more accessible, and improving educational opportunity for all Texans.

After just one year in the Senate, John Cornyn was chosen by leadership to serve as a Deputy Whip. As a member of the Whip team, he helps mobilize votes and support on major issues. Sen. Cornyn serves on five key Senate committees: Armed Services; Judiciary; Budget; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and the Joint Economic Committee. He chairs the Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship and the Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities.

Sen. Cornyn is a prominent supporter of President Bush’s judicial nominees, he continues to work for Texas military personnel and veterans, and has been a leader on working to bring about common sense, balanced immigration reform. He stands as a dedicated defender of free markets, traditional values, and individual liberty.

In addition to his legislative committees, Sen. Cornyn is the chairman of the Senate India Caucus, vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference Task Force on Hispanic Affairs, vice chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, and a member of the Senate Republican Task Force on Health Care Costs and the Uninsured, the Senate Republican High Tech Task Force, Congressional Oversight Group on Trade, and the President’s Export Council.While in the Senate, John Cornyn has received various awards and recognitions, including the 2005 Border Texan of the Year Award; the National Child Support Enforcement Association's Children's Champion Award; the American Farm Bureau Federation's Friend of Farm Bureau Award; the Texas Association of Business's Fighter for Free Enterprise Award; and the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce's (TAMACC) International Leadership Legislative Award; among others.

As Texas Attorney General from 1999-2002, John Cornyn directed many initiatives vital to the interests of Texas families. Cornyn served for six years as a District Court Judge in San Antonio before being elected to the Texas Supreme Court in 1990, where he served for seven years.

John Cornyn was born in Houston on February 2, 1952, the son of John and Gale Cornyn, both native Texans. His father, a B-17 pilot in World War II, served for thirty-one years in the U.S. Air Force and, later, taught at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. A graduate of Trinity University and St. Mary's School of Law, both in San Antonio, John Cornyn also earned a Masters of Law from the University of Virginia Law School in 1995. He was named the St. Mary's Distinguished Law School Graduate in 1994 and a Trinity University Distinguished Alumnus in 2001.

Sen. Cornyn is married to Sandy, his wife of 26 years. They have two daughters.

[Hartmann]

So basically, I'm not walking across the stage and I'm not going.

[JStrider]

I wonder who's talking at the summer graduation...

[rabble]

I have to go because my entire family is comming up...oh joy...I guess its because they never thought I'd acutally graduate.