PULLMAN, Wash. — Three speakers — Washington’s governor, a pioneering biotechnology scientist and an orthopaedic surgeon — will speak at Washington State University’s 108th spring commencement. It will be held May 8 in WSU’s Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum.
According to WSU officials, at the 8 a.m. ceremony, Gov. Gary Locke will address business, economics and education graduates. Stephen Fodor, a WSU graduate, will speak at the 11:30 a.m. ceremony to agricultural, human, and natural resource sciences; engineering; architecture; nursing; pharmacy; sciences and veterinary medicine graduates. At the 3 p.m. ceremony, Dr. Ed Tingstad, also a WSU graduate, will address those graduating in liberal arts.
Delivering remarks during each ceremony will be Jesse Aspuria, president of the Associated Students of WSU.
WSU President V. Lane Rawlins will preside at the event, which is open to the public.
About 2,200 students — 1,900 undergraduates and 200 graduate and professional — are expected to take part in the three ceremonies, said Teri Nelson, university commencement coordinator. Recently, WSU has conferred approximately 5,300 bachelor’s, master’s, professional and doctoral degrees in a typical year.
As governor, Locke created Washington’s Promise college scholarships for top high school students from working, middle-class families. While serving in the legislature as House Appropriations Committee chair, he negotiated bi-partisan budgets that increased college and university enrollments. A former King County chief executive, Locke is a Yale University political science graduate and earned a law degree from Boston University.
Fodor is credited with groundbreaking scientific and engineering technological achievements in biotechnology. He is founder, chairman and chief executive officer of the Santa Clara, Calif., biotechnology company Affymetrix Inc. The firm is a pioneer in creating breakthrough tools, such as gene chips, driving the genomic revolution. Fodor is a WSU biology graduate and earned a master’s degree in biochemistry from WSU. His doctoral degree in chemistry is from Princeton University.
Tingstad is the orthopaedic surgeon for both WSU and University of Idaho men’s and women’s intercollegiate athletic teams. He is a partner in Inland Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, which has offices in Pullman and Moscow, Idaho. As a WSU student, he was an outstanding student as well as a Cougar football running back. A WSU history graduate, he earned his medical doctor degree from the University of Washington.
