EIU Media Relations

More Than 1,500 to Receive Degrees from EIU

More than 1,500 students are eligible to graduate from Eastern Illinois University this spring, and the majority of those plan to participate in formal commencement ceremonies Saturday, May 7.

Graduation ceremonies will take place at 9 a.m., noon, 3 and 6 p.m. in Lantz Arena. Guest tickets are required for admission into the ceremonies.

Students from the College of Sciences will march in the morning ceremony; the College of Arts and Humanities and the School of Continuing Education (Board of Trustees Bachelor of Arts in General Studies program) at noon; the College of Education and Professional Studies at 3 p.m.; and the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences at 6.

Graduate students will walk with their respective colleges.

Addressing graduates at all four ceremonies will be Christopher Getty, student body president from Lyons, and David Carpenter, chair, EIU Faculty Senate.

Representing Eastern’s Board of Trustees will be Don Yost (9 a.m.), Roger L. Kratochvil (noon and 3 p.m.) and Robert D. Webb (noon and 6 p.m.).

Each ceremony will feature a special guest speaker who will present the official commencement address. State Sen. Dale Righter will speak at both the 9 a.m. and noon ceremonies, while Calvin Stockman, president of The Growth Group, Inc., plans to speak at 3 p.m. Joseph Dively, senior vice president and president of telephone operations for Consolidated Communications, Inc., will speak at 6 p.m.

All three speakers are graduates of Eastern Illinois University.

Richard H. Levi, a 1969 graduate of EIU, has achieved national and international distinction in his professional business career as a leader, innovator and pioneer in the field of information technology. And while his company has grown to become a global leader, Levi has remained committed to his region and the people of the state of Illinois. The Springfield, Ill., resident will receive an honorary doctorate of public service during Saturday’s 6 p.m. ceremony.

Also at 6 p.m., Roger L. Luft, professor of technology at Eastern, will formally receive a Distinguished Faculty Award. This award is presented annually to a full-time faculty member who has excelled in teaching, professional research/creative activity and service.

This year’s commencement marshals are:

• Ebrahim Karbassioon, professor of economics, representing the College of Sciences during the morning ceremony. Karbassioon has been a member of Eastern’s faculty since 1980.
• Terry M. Perkins, professor of communication studies, representing the College of Arts and Humanities during the noon ceremony. Perkins has been a member of Eastern’s faculty since 1979.
• Patricia J. Fewell, professor of secondary education and foundations, representing the College of Education and Professional Studies during the 3 p.m. ceremony. Fewell has been a member of Eastern’s faculty since 1986.
• Michelle L. Meadows, assistant professor, School of Family and Consumer Sciences, representing the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences, during the 6 p.m. ceremony. Meadows has been a member of Eastern’s faculty since 1997.

Special recognition will be given to five Livingston C. Lord Scholarship recipients. These prestigious scholarships, named after Eastern’s first president, are presented annually at commencement. Nominees must be of junior status.

This year’s recipients are Kathryn A. Book of Tinley Park, Sara Cassata of Wheaton, Megan K. Garrity of Batavia, Alyssa G. Hagerman of Sullivan and Lauren B. Ochs of Tuscola.