Val Ogden to speak at WSU Vancouver commencement

Val Ogden, retired Washington State Representative, will give the keynote address at WSU Vancouver’s seventeenth commencement ceremony at 2 p.m., Saturday, May 13 at The Amphitheater at Clark County. Public access to the amphitheater will begin at 12 p.m.

Val Ogden’s career reflects a lifelong dedication to community service including the Camp Fire Girls, United Way and the YWCA. In 1990 Ogden was elected to the Washington State House of Representatives from the 49th Legislative District. She was re-elected five times, and in the 2002 legislature served as Speaker Pro Tempore. She also serves on many community, state, and national boards, and was national President of the Order of Women Legislators.

She was instrumental in funding the capital projects for WSU Vancouver and has been an ardent champion of the campus and education. She is widely known for her work in promoting the success and empowerment of women and
girls. Ogden retired from the legislator in 2002. She remains active in our community and state and is currently the chair of the Southwest Washington Center for the Arts committee is a board member of the Southwest Washington Child Care Consortium and serves on the WSU Vancouver Advisory Board.

WSU Vancouver will grant more than 700 degrees this year, including 154 master’s degrees. Over 40 percent of the undergraduates achieved honors distinction. WSU President V. Lane Rawlins and WSU Vancouver Chancellor Hal Dengerink will present diplomas during the commencement program, with WSU representatives also in attendance. Anson Service, a psychology undergraduate student, will sing the national anthem.

The ceremony will also include a number of student, faculty and community awards.

The Chancellor’s Award for Student Achievement will be presented to Laurie Giacomini. Giacomini exemplifies a commitment to excellence both in the classroom and in her dedication to her career and family. While pursing her Bachelor of Arts degree in human development, she quickly distinguished herself in classes as a student with a high capacity for learning and achievement. Her remarkable contributions to the university distinguish her as a worthy recipient of this award.

Bart Phillips, chief executive and operating officer for the Columbia River Economic Development Council will receive the Chancellor’s Award for Service to WSU Vancouver. Phillips is an advocate for higher education and led the community in support of expanding WSU Vancouver to a four-year institution. Phillips continues to voice the importance of a research university to enhance economic growth for this community.

The student body will honor Christopher Plouffe, Ph.D., with the Student’s Award for Teaching Excellence. Plouffe joined the WSU Vancouver faculty this academic year. He encourages student participation and has incorporated a unique case based teaching style into some of his classes so that students become more engaged in the learning process. Plouffe’s passion for his subject matter inspires students to learn and to succeed.

Barry Hewlett, Ph.D., will receive the Research Excellence Award. This award recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement over the past year by a member of the WSU Vancouver faculty. Hewlett’s dissertation research on infant care by Aka Pygmy fathers led to publication of the first of five books. He has continued this line or research and is recognized as an expert on cultural and evolutionary aspects of childhood and childrearing. Hewlett’s second major research interest lies in the cultural study of infectious diseases, particularly the Ebola virus. Hewlett is among the first social scientists to study the cultural dimensions of Ebola. Hewlett’s scholarship has advanced the understanding of fundamental cultural and evolutionary processes and has shaped societal issues as wide-ranging as people’s understandings of fatherhood and the ways that societies confront large-scale epidemics.