UT Wordmark Primary UT Wordmark Formal Shield Texas UT News Camera Chevron Close Search Copy Link Download File Hamburger Menu Time Stamp Open in browser Load More Pull quote Cloudy and windy Cloudy Partly Cloudy Rain and snow Rain Showers Snow Sunny Thunderstorms Wind and Rain Windy Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter email alert map calendar bullhorn
The University of Texas at Austin
April 23, 2024
UT News
Campus & Community
May 10, 2005

Prominent names listed among speakers for convocation ceremonies May 20-21 at The University of Texas at Austin

The chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, the First Lady of Texas, the White House press secretary, a Texas state senator, a former U.S. secretary of commerce, a documentary filmmaker and some nationally recognized corporate leaders are among the featured speakers for convocation ceremonies May 20-21 at The University of Texas at Austin.

Two color orange horizontal divider

AUSTIN, Texas—The chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, the First Lady of Texas, the White House press secretary, a Texas state senator, a former U.S. secretary of commerce, a documentary filmmaker and some nationally recognized corporate leaders are among the featured speakers for convocation ceremonies May 20-21 at The University of Texas at Austin.

Convocations hosted by the various colleges, schools and departments are the ceremonies in which undergraduates and graduate students are recognized individually. The convocations have unique honors and traditions and provide photo opportunities for families and friends to capture special moments, such as the hooding of doctor’s and master’s degree students or of deans shaking hands with graduates as they walk across the stage.

Convocation speakers during the 122nd Spring Commencement weekend will include: The Honorable Wallace B. Jefferson, chief justice, Texas Supreme Court; Anita Perry, First Lady of Texas; Scott McClellan, assistant to the president of the United States and White House press secretary; Texas State Senator Royce West; Don Evans, former U.S. secretary of commerce; Shola Lynch, director of “Chisholm ’72,” the PBS documentary film about Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress; and William R. Johnson, president, CEO and chairman of the board of H.J. Heinz Co.

Dr. Larry R. Faulkner, president of The University of Texas at Austin, will speak at two ceremonies during the weekend.

All graduating students are invited to join together on the South Mall of the Main Building for the Commencement 2005 ceremony on May 21, which begins with a carillon prelude at 7 p.m. and ends with the traditional singing of “The Eyes of Texas.” Sara Martinez Tucker, president and chief executive officer of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the nation’s leading organization supporting Hispanic higher education, will be the keynote speaker during the ceremony.

Additional commencement information is available on the Commencement 2005 Web site.

Listed below are the convocation locations for the various colleges, schools and departments, names of people to contact for information and names of the keynote speakers. Also listed are special spring ceremonies by other groups.

Friday, May 20, 2005

  • 9 a.m. – McCombs School of Business (undergraduate ceremony) at Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: Peter R. Coneway, advisory director, Goldman, Sachs and Co. Contact: Undergraduate Program Office, 512-471-0690.
  • 9 a.m. – Department of Government, College of Liberal Arts, in Gregory Gymnasium. Ceremony includes graduate and undergraduate students. Speaker: Royce West, Texas state senator and senior partner with the law firm of West and Gooden, P.C. Contact: Nancy Moses, 512-471-5121.
  • 9 a.m. – College of Pharmacy in Bass Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. Speaker: Lucinda L. Maine, executive vice president of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Contact: Lisa Meyer, Office of the Dean, 512-475-9753.
  • 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. – The Great TEXAS EX-IT Open House in the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center, 2110 San Jacinto St.
  • Noon – College of Education in Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: Dr. John B. Bartholomew, associate professor, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, The University of Texas at Austin. Contact: Courtney Myers, 512-471-3486.
  • Noon – College of Liberal Arts in the Frank Erwin Center. Ceremony includes graduate and undergraduate students. It is a joint convocation for: Center for African and African American Studies, Department of American Studies, Department of Anthropology, Department of Asian Studies, Center for Asian American Studies, Center for Australian and New Zealand Studies, Department of Classics, Department of Comparative Literature, Center for East Asian Studies, Department of French and Italian, Department of Geography and the Environment, Department of Germanic Studies, Department of Humanities, Center for Intercultural Studies in Folklore and Ethnomusicology, Institute of Latin American Studies, Department of Linguistics, Linguistics Research Center, Department of Medieval Studies, Department of Middle Eastern Studies, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Department of Philosophy, Department of Religious Studies, Department of Rhetoric and Composition, Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, Department of Science, Technology and Society, Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies, Department of Sociology, South Asia Institute, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies. Speaker: Scott McClellan, assistant to the president of the United States and White House press secretary. Contact: Jay Jorgensen, 512-471-4271.
  • Noon – School of Nursing, in Bass Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. Ceremony includes graduate and undergraduate students. Speaker: Anita Perry, First Lady of Texas. Contact: Sue Walker, 512-232-4799.
  • 3 p.m. – Joint ROTC Commissioning Ceremony in Bates Recital Hall, Performing Arts Center. Major General Jon A. Gallinetti, U.S. Marine Corps commander, Joint Warfighting Center. Contact: Michael P. Raths, captain, U.S. Navy, 512-471-7647.
  • 3 p.m. – College of Communication in Frank Erwin Center. Ceremony includes graduate and undergraduate students. Speaker: Roy Spence, founder and president of GSDandM. Contact: Cindy Patiño, 512-475-9166.
  • 3 p.m. – Master of Business Administration recognition ceremony in Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: William R. Johnson, president, CEO and chairman of the board of H.J. Heinz Co. Contact: Jessica Quance, 512-471-7603.
  • 3 p.m. – College of Fine Arts in Bass Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. Speaker: Robert Freeman, dean of the College of Fine Arts. Contact: Student Affairs Office, 512-471-5011.
  • 4 p.m. – A Celebration of Excellence: Honoring African American, Asian American, Mexican American/Hispanic and Native American graduates in Connally Banquet Hall, Etter-Harbin Alumni Center. Speaker: Dr. Larry R. Faulkner, president of The University of Texas at Austin. Contact: Rosie Garza, 512-232-2907.
  • 6 p.m. – Department of History, College of Liberal Arts, in Bass Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. Speaker: Lynda Johnson Robb, alumna, president of the National Home Library Foundation, chair emerita of Reading is Fundamental and member of the board of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Research Center and the LBJ Foundation. Contact: Department Office, 512-471-3261. Tickets required.
  • 6 p.m. – McCombs School of Business (PPA/MPA Ceremony) at Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: Admiral Bobby R. Inman, interim dean, LBJ School of Public Affairs, former director, National Security Agency. Contact: MBA Program Office, 512-471-6559.
  • 7 p.m. – College of Engineering in Frank Erwin Center. Ceremony includes graduate and undergraduate students. Speaker: Dr. Charles E. McQueary, undersecretary for science and technology of the Department of Homeland Security. Contact: Ann Bedinger, 512-471-1166.

Saturday, May 21, 2005

  • 8:30 a.m. – College of Natural Sciences (all majors except Biological Sciences) in the Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: Dr. Jack Gilbert, associate dean for academic affairs, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin. Contact: Mari Gonzalez, 512-232-1067.
  • 9 a.m. – Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts, in Gregory Gymnasium. Ceremony includes graduate and undergraduate students. Speaker: Glenn Cartman Loury, professor of economics and founding director of the Institute on Race and Social Division at Boston University. Contact: Prudence Ching, 512-475-8507.
  • 9 a.m. – Graduate Studies (master’s degree candidates) in Bass Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. Speaker: Larry R. Faulkner, president of The University of Texas at Austin. Contact: Lucia Zonn, 512-232-3618. Tickets required.
  • 9 a.m. – Plan II Honors Program, College of Liberal Arts, in Hogg Auditorium. Speaker: Shola Lynch, filmmaker and alumna. Contact: Jennifer Scalora, 512-471-1442. Tickets required.
  • 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. – The Great TEXAS EX-IT Open House in the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center, 2110 San Jacinto St.
  • 11 a.m. – Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, in the Lyndon B. Johnson Auditorium. Speaker: Don Evans, former U.S. secretary of commerce. Contact: Courtney Brown, 512-471-8288.
  • Noon – School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, in the Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: Dr. James W. Vick, vice president for student affairs and professor of mathematics at The University of Texas at Austin. Contact: Mari Gonzalez, 512-232-1067.
  • Noon – Graduate Studies (doctor’s degree candidates) in Bass Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. Speaker: Sheldon Ekland-Olson, executive vice president and provost at The University of Texas at Austin. Contact: Lucia Zonn, 512-232-3618.
  • 12:30 p.m. – Department of English, College of Liberal Arts, in Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: Steven Isenberg, visiting professor of humanities at The University of Texas at Austin. Contact: Faculty Concerns, 512-232-2342.
  • 3 p.m. – School of Information in the Texas Union Theatre. Speaker: Dr. Herman Suit, the Andres Soriano Distinguished Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School and former chief, Department of Radiation Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Contact: Melba Claymon, 512-471-2185.
  • 3 p.m. – Center for Mexican American Studies, College of Liberal Arts, in the University Teaching Center 2.112A. Ceremony includes graduate and undergraduate students. Speaker: Raul Alvarez, Austin City Council member and alumnus. Contact: Dolores Garcia 512-471-4557.
  • 3 p.m. – School of Social Work in Bass Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. Ceremony includes graduate and undergraduate students. Speakers: Meredith Carole Thompson, a student receiving her master’s degree in social work; Ashley Grace Katz, a student receiving her bachelor’s degree in social work; and Dr. Ruth G. McRoy, associate dean for research, the Ruby Lee Piester Centennial Professor in Services to Children and Families, and director of the Center for Social Work Research. Contact: Julie Cunniff, 512-471-0562.
  • 3:30 p.m. – School of Architecture in the Texas Union Ballroom 3.202. Ceremony includes graduate and undergraduate students. Speaker: Peter Pfeiffer of Barley + Pfeiffer Architects in Austin. Contact: Jeanne Crawford, 512-471-0109.
  • 3:30 p.m. – School of Law in the Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: The Honorable Wallace B. Jefferson, chief justice, Texas Supreme Court. Contact: Susana Alemán, 512-232-1313.
  • 3:30 p.m. – Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts, in Gregory Gymnasium. Ceremony includes graduate and undergraduate students. Speaker: Dr. M. Gene Ondrusek, alumnus, chief psychologist for the Center for Executive Health at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, Calif., and production consultant for Fox and CBS, including the television show “Survivor.” Contact: Alice Andrews, 512-471-4410.

Explore Latest Articles