TWU Schedules Spring Commencement

4/23/04

DENTON — Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Chairman Jerry Farrington will address Texas Woman’s University graduates during the noon commencement ceremony Saturday, May 8 on TWU’s Denton campus.

Students and family members who have tickets are invited to attend. The ceremonies, which include graduates from the Denton, Dallas and Houston campuses, are scheduled at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. in the Kitty Magee Arena in Pioneer Hall, located on Bell Avenue.

TWU Chancellor Dr. Ann Stuart will preside at each ceremony, which includes an academic procession, conferring of degrees and a commencement address.

Approximately 657 undergraduate and 545 graduate degrees will be awarded.

Times for commencement reflect candidate assignments based on specific schools and colleges participating in the ceremonies listed below. Receptions for each ceremony will follow on the second floor of the Student Center, located at Bell Avenue and Administration Drive. As a special treat for children, an activity room featuring games, videos and popcorn will be open in room 207 of the Student Center. The room will be open during receptions only.

• 9 a.m. — Ceremony I for candidates from the College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. James Rimmer, project director of the Center on Health Promotion Research for Persons with Disabilities and director of the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability, will deliver the commencement address. A reception will follow from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

• Noon — Ceremony II for candidates from the College of Health Sciences and the College of Nursing. A reception will follow from 1:30-2:30 p.m.

• 3 p.m. — Ceremony III for candidates from the School of Management and the College of Professional Education. Dr. Kaye Stripling, superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, will be the commencement speaker.

Dr. Rimmer, a nationally recognized leader in health promotion research for persons with disabilities, graduated from TWU in 1982 with a doctorate in kinesiology with a specialization in adapted physical activity/exercise physiology. He currently is a professor in the Department of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Dr. Rimmer also is project director for the Center on Health Promotion Research for Persons with Disabilities, a federally funded program that is examining the effects of exercise and health promotion on persons with stroke, diabetes, arthritis, spinal cord injury, and Down syndrome. He directs two other federally funded centers: the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability and the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Recreational Technology and Exercise Physiology.

He was named a TWU Distinguished Alum in 2003.

Farrington is chairman emeritus of TXU (Texas Utilities Co.), retiring in February after serving 25 years on the company’s board. He previously served as chairman of the board, chairman and chief executive and president of Texas Utilities Co.

Gov. Rick Perry in 2001 appointed Farrington to serve a six-year term on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and in 2003 appointed him chairman. Also in 2003, the governor appointed Farrington to serve on the Joint Interim Committee on Higher Education.

Farrington holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in business administration and an honorary doctor of public service degree from the University of North Texas. He has chaired the boards of numerous professional and industry associations and civic organizations, and was a 2003 recipient of the Charles Cameron Sprague Community Service Award presented by the Southwestern Medical Foundation.

Dr. Stripling was named superintendent of schools of the Houston Independent School District in 2001, succeeding Dr. Rod Paige, who assumed the position of United States Secretary of Education.

Dr. Stripling began service with the Houston school district as a teacher in 1964. She earned her bachelor of science degree at TWU in 1962, then earned a master’s and doctorate in education at the University of Houston. She was named a TWU Distinguished Alumna in 2002 and a University of Houston Distinguished Alumni the following year.

Dr. Stripling is recognized as an advocate for teachers and children. She has been named a Champion for Children by Initiatives for Children Inc. and a Distinguished Education Leader by the State of Texas. In 2001 she established the Kaye Stripling Scholarship Fund, a private scholarship program unaffiliated with the Houston school district. The mission of the fund is to help HISD graduates achieve their goal of becoming elementary or secondary school teachers. The fund provides two $10,000 scholarships each year.

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For Further Information Contact:

Karen Treat
Senior Copywriter
Tel: (940) 898-3456
e-mail: ktreat@twu.edu