Penn State Behrend to Confer 188 Degrees
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will hold its fall 2006 commencement ceremony for 188 students, including eight associate, 164 baccalaureate and 16 graduate degree candidates on Friday, December 22, at 7 p.m., in the Junker Center.
Notable speakers include Darren Williams, associate professor of physics and astronomy, who will deliver a commencement address titled “We’re in this together,” Kurt Buseck, chairman of the Council of Fellows, and Edward P. Junker III, a member of the Penn State Board of Trustees, who will provide authorization to confer degrees.
Williams has been a School of Science faculty member since 1998. His research interest is in the relatively new field of astrobiology, which asks, “Can a planet or moon support life?” Williams has secured nearly one-half million dollars from NASA and the National Science Foundation to fund his research at Penn State Behrend, which has appeared in National Geographic, Nature, and Discover magazines. He also is a frequent speaker at the Penn State Behrend’s Open House Nights in Astronomy. Williams earned his doctoral degree in astronomy and astrophysics from Penn State and a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Pittsburgh.
The college’s four student marshals are Jae-Kwon Hwang, an accounting major from Seoul, South Korea, for the Sam and Irene Black School of Business; Tracie Kendziora, an English Major and Schreyer’s Scholar from Erie for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences; Sherry L. Plummer, a mathematics major from Reynoldsville, Pa., for the School of Science; and Xiaonan Zang, an electrical engineering major from Erie for the School of Engineering. As Hwang is unable to attend the ceremony, economics student Benso Ogura from Yokohama, Japan, will represent the Black School of Business.
Following the commencement program, all graduates and their guests are invited to attend a reception in Junker Center.
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, offers 31 baccalaureate, six associate, four pre-professional and two graduate degree programs with 21 minors to 4,000 students. Focused on providing a student-centered environment, Penn State Behrend is the link that connects its students to a major research and land-grant institution on a campus enriched by more than 110 clubs and organizations, 21 NCAA varsity teams, 19 intramural sports and modern facilities. For more information, visit www.pserie.psu.edu.