News Releases

USM’s 128th Commencement

May 7, 2008

To help you plan coverage of USM’s 128th Commencement, here is the outline of the ceremony:

TIME/PLACE:           
9 A.M.-12 noon, this Saturday, May 10, Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland.  There are 1,747 eligible graduates in the Class of 2008, and more than 1,000 are expected to march in Saturday’s ceremony, which promises to be USM’s largest Commencement ever.

CEREMONY SCHEDULE:
8:15 a.m.- Graduates line up.  9:00 – Ceremony begins.  9:30 – Student commencement address, Mark Coursey of Auburn (text available).  9:45 – Distinguished Achievement Award to Kenneth and Mary P. Nelson of Falmouth for their years of commitment to USM and higher education in Maine.  9:50 – Honorary degrees to USM alumnus Ray Stevens, class of 1986 of La Jolla, Calif., for his contributions to science education at USM; Gary Lawless of Brunswick, a poet and champion of literature in Maine; and historian, commentator, and Pulitzer-prize winner Roger Wilkins, who shared the Pulitzer Prize for Watergate coverage with Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein and Herb (Herblock) Block.  10:15 – Keynote address, by Roger Wilkins.  10:35 – Presentation of diplomas to individual graduates.

INTERESTING GRADUATES:
Student commencement speaker Mark A. Coursey of Auburn, will graduate with a B.S. in Leadership and Organizational Studies from USM Lewiston-Auburn College. He returned to college after a 16-year absence using Osher Re-entry Scholarships, and plans to attend the University of Maine School of Law this fall.

Identical twins Nicholas and Curtis Wheeler of Newport, Vermont, are both graduating with degrees in environmental safety and health.  Both men ran cross-country and track, and Curtis was named the Little East Conference Track Athlete of the Week four times this semester. Professor of Environmental Science Samantha Langley-Turnbaugh states “the only way to tell them apart is their sneakers!”  The men are moving to Maine permanently, recently renting their first apartment together.  Nicholas will be working as a safety specialist at Cianbro and Curtis is continuing in the Safety Department at Poland Spring, where he had an internship.

Brianna Allen, a 2003 graduate of Livermore Falls High School, is a member of the Chickasaw Nation (Oklahoma).  She is graduating with a B.F.A. in painting and a B.A. in studio art and entrepreneurial studies.  Allen plans to drive to Homer, Alaska after graduation where she will visit Native American tribes, learning how they incorporate their traditions into 21st Century living, and painting portraits of tribal members.  She will exhibit her paintings at the Midnight Sun Café in Homer.  Her paintings can be seen at http://www.briannaallen.com

Carmen Merab Wamukoya’s parents and brother will win the prize for traveling the farthest to USM’s Commencement – they are coming from Kenya.  Carmen recently was named the University of Southern Maine Lewiston-Auburn College Outstanding Student and will graduate with honors, receiving her bachelor’s in social and behavioral sciences. She came to USM LAC after meeting Associate Professor of Leadership and Organizational studies Betty Robinson at the University of Botswana where Robinson was working on a project. Carmen plans to return to Kenya after commencement.

Nicole O’Brien of Portland will receive a bachelor’s degree in English and is the fifth member of her family to graduate from USM.  She is the granddaughter of former State Representative Lillian O’Brien of Lewiston, who herself is a 1952 graduate of Gorham State Teachers College, one of USM’s predecessor institutions.  Lillian marched with USM’s “Golden Grads” in 2002, the same year her son, Nicole’s father, Lawrence J. O’Brien II, received his degree in psychology. At the USM College of Arts and Sciences Awards Ceremony on April 22, Nicole received an Award for Excellence in Language Study for excellence in German.

FOR HELP ARRANGING COVERAGE:
Bob Caswell or Judie Alessi O’Malley of the USM Office of Public Affairs can be reached at 207-780-4200.  They also can be reached at home, 839-2026 (Caswell) or 839-6402 (O’Malley).  During the ceremony, call Bob Caswell at 939-2377 (cell), or O’Malley at 329-0985 (cell).

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