|
MEDIA CONTACT: Aileen Izquierdo
561-297-3020, izquierd@fau.edu or
Andrew LaPlant
561-297-3022, alaplant@fau.edu
FAU Confers 100,000th Degree
at Spring Commencement Ceremonies
BOCA RATON, FL (May 6, 2004) - Florida Atlantic University conferred its 100,000th degree today during commencement ceremonies. The more than 2,300 graduates of the spring semester join over 90,000 alumni who have already graduated from FAU since it opened its doors 40 years ago.
"Commencement is a wonderful opportunity for FAU's students, faculty, staff and the extended FAU family to celebrate the accomplishments of these graduates," said FAU President Frank T. Brogan '81. "The education acquired through their success at FAU will certainly give these students the tools needed to succeed beyond college."
FAU's commencement ceremonies were marked with a number of highlights and recognitions. The Doctor of Nursing Science Program at FAU, made up of 24 students, graduated its first class of three students. The program is specifically designed to prepare nurse leaders for positions in nursing education, practice and administration with a focus on community based care or gerontology.
Highlighting the accomplishments of an FAU alumnus, the 1 p.m. commencement honored Rey Moré, senior vice president and general manager of iDEN Mobile Devices at Motorola, Inc. In 2003, Hispanic Engineer and Information Technology Magazine named him one of the Top 50 Hispanics in Business and Technology. Moré received the FAU National Alumni Association Hall of Fame Award, which recognizes distinguished alumni who demonstrate exceptional service and commitment to their profession or to the community.
Two graduates were recipients of leadership and scholarship awards. Morgan Cable, a graduate of the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, was awarded the Kenneth R. Williams Scholarship Award for her outstanding work as a chemistry major, who is also minoring in math and physics. She has conducted research in bacterial morphologies and presented her results at the American Chemical Society's national meeting earlier this year. Cable hopes to pursue a career as a NASA mission specialist.
Megan Dewitt was the recipient of the Williams Leadership Award for her exceptional scholarship. With a major in ocean engineering and minor in mathematics, she served as president of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers Student Section and worked in a number of internships associated with ocean engineering. In addition, Dewitt took part in the Student Autonomous Underwater Vehicle national competition and worked as a volunteer on FAU's human-powered submarine project. Following graduation, she plans to pursue an advanced degree at Penn State, conducting research in the field of ocean acoustics.
In addition, FAU's fall commencement highlighted the accomplishments of several outstanding graduates, including:
-
Yuanjun He, FAU's first graduate to take a postdoctoral fellowship at Scripps Florida, received a Ph.D. in chemistry from FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. While a doctoral student, He helped develop new chemical reactions to create drugs more efficiently. A recipient of two postdoctoral fellowships, she received the Daniel B. Newell and Aurel B. Newell doctoral fellowship in 2003 and in 2004, the FAU graduate fellowship for academic excellence. In addition, He has published three of her doctoral research articles in The Journal of Organic Chemistry. He's two-year fellowship with Scripps is a testament to the significant collaboration between FAU and the Scripps Research Institute in Florida.
-
Nicole Ortiz, a graduate of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, was diagnosed with Morquio Syndrome, a disability that stunted her growth at three feet tall and confined her to a wheelchair. Despite struggles along the way, including the death of her father in a car crash, Ortiz refused to let anything impact her, and she remained focused on earning her degree. Ortiz majored in multimedia studies and hopes to work in the movie industry - editing, producing and creating special effect for films.
Commencement for all of FAU's colleges was held in FAU's Gymnasium, 777 Glades Road. In addition, the ceremony was cybercasted at www.fau.edu.
- FAU -
Florida Atlantic University opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the university serves 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 eight colleges - the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, and the Colleges of Business, Education, Engineering & Computer Science, and Architecture, Urban & Public Affairs. The University is observing its 40th anniversary this year.
|
|
