University of Southern Maine

News Releases

USM'S 127th Commencement

May 10, 2007

To help you plan coverage of USM's 127th Commencement, here is the outline of the ceremony.

TIME/PLACE:
9 a.m.- 12 noon, this Saturday, May 12, Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland. There are over 1,631 eligible graduates in the Class of 2007, and nearly 1,000 of them will march in Saturday's ceremony.

CEREMONY SCHEDULE:
8:15 a.m. - Graduates line up. 9:00 - Ceremony begins. 9:30 - Student commencement address, Lori Royer of Lovell (text available). 9:45 - Distinguished Achievement Awards to Meg Baxter of the United Way of Greater Portland for leadership and commitment to community service; and artist Robert Shetterly of Brooksville for outstanding contribution to the arts. 10:00 - Honorary degrees to Lisa and Leon Gorman of Yarmouth for their longstanding commitment to philanthropy, the education of Maine students and public service.10:15 - Keynote address, USM President Richard L. Pattenaude. 10:35- Presentation of diplomas to individual graduates, beginning with the ceremonial hooding of USM's first two doctoral recipients.

INTERESTING GRADUATES:
Arta Haxha of Portland, formerly of Kosovo, was about to graduate with a degree in economics from the University of Prishtina in Kosovo when civil war drove her family to become political refugees to the United States in June 1999. Learning her degree would not be recognized in the U.S., Haxha spent six years working in various offices at USM while she studied to receive a USM bachelor's degree in communication. She presently is employed at Key Bank Business Services as a sales coordinator.

Lori Royer of Lovell, student commencement speaker, will graduate with a degree in business administration and a minor in music. Active in student life activities, she has been a member and president of USM's Students in Free Enterprise team, tennis team, performed in jazz ensembles and mentored Gorham Middle School students. She cites USM's diversity as its great asset in her speech. Royer's mother, Vicki Royer, will march at USM's ceremony, earning a degree in library and information technology from the University of Maine at Augusta.

Andrew Bossie of Caribou and Joshua David Chaisson of Greene were named 2007 Outstanding Seniors. Bossie will graduate with a degree in political science. He served as Student Senate vice chair in 2004, Student Senate chair in 2005, and Student Body president in 2006. He is perhaps best known as founding president of Opportunity Maine, an organization that recently gathered more than 70,000 signatures to place on the ballot a proposal which will create Maine tax credits for college loan repayments.

Chaisson will graduate with a degree in economics. He worked as an assistant resident director for the past three years, and was one of two campus representatives from Maine to the Center for American Progress. He became the first USM Student Body president in 2005, and in 2006 co-founded the University of Maine System Student Government, an organization that addresses academic and financial issues for students attending Maine's Public Universities.

USM's first doctoral recipients: Sharon Timberlake of Portland will receive a University of Southern Maine Doctor of Public Policy degree. Hong Xie, a Portland resident originally from China, will receive a University of Maine doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology. This program is collaboratively offered at USM through an agreement with the University of Maine. Xie worked at USM with her advisor, USM Professor John Wise.

FOR HELP ARRANGING COVERAGE:
Judie O'Malley of the USM Office of Public Affairs can be reached at 207-780-4200. She can be reached at home, 839-6402, or 329-0985 (cell). During the Ceremony, call Bob Caswell at 939-2377 (cell), or O'Malley at 329-0985.

For more detailed information on Commencement, see http://www.usm.maine.edu/mcr/news/0607releases/CommencementBig.htm.

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