WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 16, 2006, beginning at 9 a.m.
WHERE: Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV
DETAILS:Approximately 1,800 degrees will be conferred at this year's winter ceremonies. Additionally, UNLV President David B. Ashley will present Carolyn Goodman, the wife of Mayor Oscar Goodman, with an honorary doctor of laws degree for her long-standing commitment to education and pioneering work in founding and developing the Meadows School. Additionally, six students will be recognized as outstanding graduates. Please see the following page for additional details on these students.
The doors of the Thomas & Mack Center and the Cox Pavilion will open at 8 a.m. All guests should enter through the Thomas & Mack Center, while all graduates should report to the Cox Pavilion Arena for line-up. Ample parking is available outside the Thomas & Mack Center. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis; no tickets are required. The length of the ceremony is approximately two and a half hours.
UNLV is a doctoral-degree granting institution of 28,000 students and approximately 3,000 faculty and staff. More than 220 undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees are offered. Founded in 1957, UNLV is located on more than 350 acres in Southern Nevada. The university is classified in the category of "research universities," noting high research activity, by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
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Winter 2006 Commencement Outstanding Graduates
Stacy Raagas - Bachelor's Degree, Mechanical Engineering
While women pursuing an engineering career have hit an all-time low nationally and internationally, Ms. Raagas has led teams to victories and honors in the Human Powered Vehicle and FIRST Robotics competitions. Under her leadership, the UNLV student chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers was awarded a grant to develop a diversity action program to attract minorities and women to engineering.
MariJo King - Bachelor's Degree, Psychology
Ms. King has achieved remarkable academic success. Despite maintaining full-time employment, she was the first in her family to graduate from high school and now is the first to graduate from college. Moreover, Ms. King achieved this success while struggling to find treatment options to help her battle lupus, a debilitating disease.
Scott Matthew Kohen - Bachelor's Degree, Film Studies
Earlier this year, Mr. Kohen received the Rebel Achievement Award for "Outstanding Emerging Leader and Innovation" for his work as a resident assistant in the Dayton Hall. In addition, he developed the Women Against Violence Everywhere (WAVE) community outreach program and served as a mentor in the Mentors in Violence Prevention program, where he coordinated open forum sessions with male students. His feature length film 372 Days will be screened on campus next semester.
Bruce Ollstein- Dual Master of Business Administration and Hotel Administration
Mr. Ollstein has maintained a 4.0 grade point average while seeking dual master's degrees in business administration and hotel administration? -- the fist student to achieve this honor in the program. Mr. Ollstein holds an undergraduate degree from West Point and served as a personal pilot for the 7th Air Force Commander in South Korea. He has written a best-selling book on golf, and his research on the effect of poker-room volume as a peripheral driver of slot-machine revenue on the strip will be soon be published.
Zhen Xie- Ph.D., Biology
Mr. Xie is the first UNLV student to be accepted by Harvard University as a postdoctoral fellow. He is currently working at the FAS Center for Systems Biology at Harvard University, where he is investigating molecular automate, which could aid in diagnosing and treating diseases at the cellular level. As a student, Mr. Xie also received a fellowship from the Institute of Genome Research, an international leader of genome research.
Angela Hernquist- Ph.D., Educational Leadership
Ms. Hernquist is being honored for her academic achievements and active engagement in the community. She is chapter president of Ladies Philoptochos Society and a member of the National Charity League, a mother-daughter philanthropic organization dedicated to community service and leadership development. Ms. Hernquist also started an onsite-managed food bank at the Sartini Senior Center, which serves low-income seniors.
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