Commencement concluded; 3 thousand-plus receive degrees
The 109th Commencement exercises at Utah State University were held May 4 in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on the Logan campus. Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish delivered the commencement address to a graduating class of 3,237 students: 2,688 candidates for baccalaureate degrees, 427 master‚s degrees, 44 doctoral degrees and 88 associate degrees or certifications.
The university awarded honorary degrees to six outstanding Americans for their contributions to various human endeavors. They are Bishop Irish, Doctor of Social Sciences; vocal teacher and voice therapist Oren Lathrop Brown, Doctor of Music; novelist Patricia Cornwell, Doctor of Letters; author and environmentalist Barry Lopez, Doctor of Environmental Studies; Nobel Prize-winning chemist Mario J. Molina, Doctor of Atmospheric Sciences; and Nevada Senator Harry Reid, Doctor of Political Science.
Irish, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah and a Trustee of the Tanner Charitable Trust, devotes her life to imparting spiritual well-being, humanitarian goodwill and uplifting aesthetic experiences for all people in Utah and beyond. She has chaired the board of the O.C. Tanner Company and directed efforts of the Utah Episcopal Diocese in extensive charitable and community involvement. She also has been a strong supporter of open space initiatives and stronger gun controls.
Brown, a dedicated teacher for more than 50 years, is known throughout the world by students and colleagues as one of the premier experts in voice care and voice therapy. He has been on the forefront of merging the fields of singing, voice science research and voice therapy. Brown devotes much of his time to other endeavors such as serving on the editorial board of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and holding voice seminars each summer for leading singers in the major opera houses throughout Europe and the United States.
Cornwell, award-winning author of “The Body Farm” and “Cruel and Unusual,” writes with a passion and realism that few can master. Her unique focus on detective work singles her out as a master of the crime-drama form. Cornwell‚s novels have earned awards spanning the globe, and her 1996 novel “Cause of Death” topped the “New York Times” best-seller list.
Lopez has become an eloquent spokesperson for the intellectual intersection between nature and culture. In his many books, ranging from essays to drama to speculation to poetry and fiction, he has forged a link between literary expression and the natural sciences. Lopez redefined the genre of environmental writing, combining outstanding prose with careful scientific observation, giving the West an author that cannot be ignored by the “Eastern establishment.”
Molina received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his groundbreaking research into the depletion of the ozone layer, a phenomenon the Nobel committee termed “the Achilles heel of the universe.” This MIT professor‚s fascination with science began early, when he converted a seldom-used bathroom in the family home into a laboratory. With a joint appointment in Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences and the Department of Chemistry at MIT, Molina pursues research into global climate-change processes.
Senator Harry Reid represents the citizens of Nevada and of the entire West with great integrity. As a Nevada assemblyman at age 28, Senator Reid introduced the first air pollution legislation in the state‚s history. He became the state‚s youngest lieutenant governor in 1970 and, as chair of the Nevada Gaming Commission, fought to clean up the gaming industry. Now in his third term in the United States Senate and serving as the Democratic Whip, Senator Reid has consistently fought for the rights and interests of children, families and workers and to keep nuclear waste out of Nevada, calling instead for increased development and use of renewable energy sources.