A List
5/11/09

St. Lawrence University Commencement Is May 17

CANTON - St. Lawrence University will hold Commencement on Sunday, May 17, at 10 a.m. on Creasy Commencement Commons, or in Appleton Arena in the event of inclement weather.

Eight people will be awarded honorary degrees at the ceremony. They are:

- President Daniel F. Sullivan. Sullivan's presidency, which began in 1996, concludes with his retirement on June 30. During that time, the University has added seven new majors and 24 new faculty positions; expanded student-faculty research; added five new international programs and seven new athletic teams. Also, St. Lawrence has invested over $200 million in new or renovated facilities to support student achievement, improving or creating 25 buildings or facilities. In addition, the University completed a comprehensive campaign, raising $132 million, and launched Momentum St. Lawrence, which will raise $200 million by December 31, 2010. The Board of Trustees has honored him by dedicating the Sullivan Student Center in tribute to him and Ann Sullivan; by establishing the Daniel F. '65 and Ann H. Sullivan Endowment for Student-Faculty Research; and by naming the entire student-faculty research program as a tribute to them. Ann Sullivan will be awarded a University Citation at the ceremony.

- Four scientists who work in the field of geoscience/climate change, all of whom graduated from the University; all four have done their work at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. Richard Fairbanks '72 has been at the center of oceanographic and paleoclimatic studies as a pioneer in the study of deepwater circulation. Dale Chayes '73 has enabled major oceanographic mapping, bottom profiling and submarine research cruises during the past 36 years, leading to improved understanding of the Arctic. Paleoceanographer and micropaleontologist Miriam Katz '81 utilizes the marine geological record to reconstruct past climate events, changes in mean climate state and normal climate variability, with recent research has focused on the extreme global warming event that occurred 55 million years ago, providing the opportunity to examine the system response to climate and greenhouse gas changes that occurred at rates similar to modern changes. Peter deMenocal '82, a paleoceanographer and marine geologist, researches historical climate variations within the context of longer records over the recent geologic past, as a way to understand the causes and impact of climate change.

- Carol Geary Schneider. President of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), she initiated in 2005 Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP), a 10-year campus action and public campaign designed to engage students and the public with what really matters in college. Previously, she had led projects on general education reform and on the purposes and organizing principles of arts and sciences majors.

- Allen P. Splete '60. Former president of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) he is director of the CIC's Presidents Consulting Service, which provides advice and counsel in president-board relations, financial management and crisis management. Prior to his tenure at CIC, Splete was vice president for academic planning and special programs at St. Lawrence and president of Westminster College. He has served on numerous education commissions and committees and written extensively on higher education.

- Lawrence J. Winston '60. Chair of the St. Lawrence Board of Trustees from 2001 through 2008, during which time St. Lawrence built eight new facilities; completed its largest fundraising campaign; and began an even more ambitious effort, Momentum St. Lawrence, whose totals have included a generous gift by him and his spouse, Sally, in whose honor the University has named the program space of the Student Center the Winston Room. Sally Winston will be awarded a University Citation at Commencement.

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Commencement Web site