May 9: WSU Spokane celebrates 25th commencement

By Becki Meehan, WSU Spokane

Lisa-Cohen-80SPOKANE, Wash. – Washington State University Spokane will be the first college in the Spokane area to celebrate commencement. On Friday, May 9, nearly 500 students in the campus’s 25th graduating class will receive baccalaureate, master’s, professional and doctoral degrees in 21 programs.

 

The formal ceremony, led by Chancellor Lisa Brown, will begin at 2 p.m. in the Spokane Convention Center, Exhibit Hall C, at 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. Doors open at 1 p.m. Family, friends, faculty and staff are invited to attend. Tickets are not required.

Washington Global Health Alliance speaker

Lisa Cohen, executive director of the Washington Global Health Alliance (WGHA), will deliver words of advice and inspiration to the graduates.

Cohen oversees a coalition of more than 60 leading global health research, development and civic organizations. WGHA supports governments, corporate and nonprofit organizations and individuals in the state through shared efforts to advance global health equity.

Prior to the formation of WGHA, Cohen spent 25 years as a producer and manager in broadcast news. She taught journalism at the University of Washington, where she earned degrees in broadcast journalism and international communications. She is executive director and board chair for the Washington Global Health Fund and is on the governance boards of Global to Local, Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association, and Literacy Bridge, as well as numerous civic advisory committees.

Background on the class of 2014

The graduating class is represented by 11 doctoral candidates in design, education, criminal justice, nursing and pharmacy and 85 professional candidates in pharmacy.

The 104 master’s candidates will receive degrees in teaching; education; health policy and administration; nursing; coordinated program in dietetics, nutrition and exercise physiology; and communication disorders/speech and hearing sciences – a joint Eastern Washington University/WSU program.

The 291 bachelor’s candidates will receive degrees in nursing; nutrition and exercise physiology; communication disorders/speech and hearing sciences; business administration; education; human development; social sciences and psychology.

The 145 nursing baccalaureates will receive their degrees from the WSU College of Nursing and its consortium partners EWU and Whitworth University. All baccalaureate nursing graduates receive joint degrees from WSU and the institution at which they did their first two years of study.

Reflection

Sari Levernier (SARE-ee Luh-VER-knee-ae) was selected by her peers and faculty as student speaker. She will receive her bachelor of science in nursing.

She studied at WSU Pullman for 1½ years and then embarked on a study abroad in Gold Coast, Australia. She completed her last two years of nursing school at the WSU Spokane campus and just completed her senior practicum at Seattle Children’s Hospital, where she hopes to get her first job.

She has high aspirations and dreams of combining nursing with her love of travel. She will share a compelling message of working toward your dreams despite any obstacle that might stand in the way.

She will speak from the heart about how she contracted a chronic illness during her first year of nursing school and how she worked through the pain to make her dreams come true. In the years to come, you will likely find her sharing her passion for holistic care.

Notes to photographers and assignment editors

Contact Becki Meehan, 509-358-7528 or rebecca.meehan@wsu.edu, to arrange interviews with faculty and students prior to May 9.

Follow us on Twitter @WSUSpokane or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WSUSpokane. Timely messages will be posted throughout the day of commencement, and photos will be posted on or before May 12.

Schedule for news media

9 a.m. – ASWSU Spokane Commencement Brunch and Awards Ceremony – visual/audio opportunities. (WSU Spokane, Phase I Classroom Building, Second Floor Studio at 668 N. Riverpoint Blvd., Spokane)

1-1:30 p.m. – Students arrive for robing, and you may be able to pick up interviews on the fly.

1:30-4 p.m. – Students are not available for interviews; robing and ceremony in progress.

Approximately 4 p.m. – Students will exit the building and will be greeted by Butch; great photo opportunities as Butch greets students and their families. Students and their families typically linger around the breezeway for a short time after the ceremony.
Contact:
Becki Meehan, WSU Spokane, 509-358-7528 or rebecca.meehan@wsu.edu