Commencement 2009

Undergraduate College

Commencement: May 10
Degree awarded: BA
Number of graduates: 386
Guest speaker: Ray Suarez, senior correspondent for The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer on the PBS television network. He is also a host of American Abroad, an international news and analysis program from Public Radio International.

School of Law

Commencement: May 23
Degrees awarded: JD; LLM in Environmental and Natural Resources Law
Number of graduates: 260
Guest speakers: Robert Bennett and Alter Wiener. Bennett is one of the most famous trial lawyers in the United States. His clients have included former President Bill Clinton, lobbyist Tommy Corcoran, former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, former Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott, former New York Times reporter Judith Miller, and former World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz.

Wiener is the author of From a Name to a Number: A Holocaust Survivor’s Autobiography. His moving story, which details the loss of his family and his suffering in five concentration camps, serves as a reminder of where prejudice may lead and why tolerance is imperative.

Graduate School of Education and Counseling

Commencement: June 7
Degrees awarded: Ed.D.; MEd; MAT; M.S. in
Counseling Psychology; MA in Counseling Psychology; Ed.S. in School Psychology
Number of graduates: 261
Guest speaker: Francisco Guajardo, founder and executive director of the Llano Grande Center for Research and Development in Edinburg, Texas. The center seeks to reverse the brain drain in rural communities by focusing on youth leadership development; project planning, implementation, and evaluation; and teacher/school leadership training.