MEDIA CONTACT: Andrew LaPlant
561-297-0884, alaplant@fau.edu
BOCA RATON, FL (December 14, 2007) - Florida Atlantic University conferred more than 2,200 degrees today during three commencement ceremonies held in the FAU Arena on the Boca Raton campus. The new graduates join over 102,000 alumni who have graduated from FAU since the university opened its doors in 1964.
“Commencement is a wonderful opportunity for FAU’s students, faculty, staff and the extended FAU family to celebrate the great accomplishments of these graduates,” said FAU President Frank T. Brogan. “With the tools acquired through their success at FAU, these students will have the opportunity to achieve their part of the American dream.”
During the 9 a.m. commencement ceremony, Dr. Steven R. Swanson ’86, NASA astronaut and mission specialist, was awarded with the Alumni Hall of Fame award and an Honorary Doctorate. Swanson, who flew on the space shuttle mission STS-117, logging 336 hours in space, including almost 14 spacewalk hours, presented an FAU flag he took with him to space to FAU President Frank T. Brogan. Swanson is currently assigned as a mission specialist on the STS-119 mission, targeted for launch in the fall of 2008.
Fall commencement also highlighted the accomplishments of several outstanding graduates, including:
- Dawn Hutchins’ research on Native American history shows the capabilities and extraordinary results of a group that works together. Hutchins, who is a mother of eight and is receiving her master’s degree in history at FAU, performed her thesis work on the Trail of Tears, the forced relocation in 1838 of the Cherokee Native American tribe to the western United States.
- Milica Milosavljevic, a native of Serbia who received her doctorate today in marketing from the Barry Kaye College of Business, conducted her research at FAU in the area of marketing. By combining the study of psychology and neuroscience, she worked to understand the factors that determine consumer behavior, specifically attention span.
- Growing up, Eric Garza translated information to English for his mother and her friends. He knew at that point that he wanted to assist others in making their lives easier. Garza received his bachelor’s degree today in social work and is currently an intern with the Children’s Home Society case management department in Okeechobee. He aspires to become a protective investigator with the Department of Children and Families or work in another position dealing with child abuse and neglect. Garza said the primary reason he was able to obtain his degree was the location of the Port St. Lucie campus.
Some interesting statistics regarding the fall graduating class include the fact that 87 of the 2,219 degree recipients were over the age of 50. The oldest graduate was 77 and the youngest was 19. The graduates represented 74 countries.
For the convenience of family members and friends who could not attend the commencement ceremonies, the proceedings were cybercast at www.fau.edu.
-FAU-
Florida Atlantic University opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University serves more than 26,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses strategically located along 150 miles of Florida's southeastern coastline. Building on its rich tradition as a teaching university, with a world-class faculty, FAU hosts ten colleges: College of Architecture, Urban & Public Affairs, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Biomedical Science, the Barry Kaye College of Business, the College of Education, the College of Engineering & Computer Science, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Graduate College, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science.
