Over 1,000 students to receive diplomas from BGSU

BOWLING GREEN, O.—Bowling Green State University will award more than 1,000 undergraduate and graduate degrees, plus one honorary degree, during fall commencement ceremonies Dec. 18 and 19 in Anderson Arena in Memorial Hall.

Graduating at 7 p.m. Dec. 18 will be nearly 200 students from the Graduate College, along with undergraduates from the colleges of Business Administration, Health and Human Services, Musical Arts, and Technology, and BGSU Firelands. Students from the colleges of Arts and Sciences and Education and Human Development will receive diplomas during a 10 a.m. ceremony Dec. 19.

The Dec. 18 speaker will be John Meier, chair and chief executive officer of glass tableware giant Libbey Inc. Meier is a BGSU alumnus as well, having earned a master of business administration degree in 1970.

The honorary degree will also be awarded during the Dec. 18 ceremony, to Ned Baker, a retired public health official who will be named a doctor of science in public health.

In 1991, as president-elect of the Ohio Association of Boards of Health, Baker was instrumental in the founding of the Bowling Green-based National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH). The Bowling Green resident was NALBOH’s first president, from 1993-94, and its first executive director, from 1995-98. Baker, who received a bachelor’s degree in biology from BGSU in 1950, started his career as chief sanitarian with the Wood County Health Department before moving on to the Ohio Department of Health. He also served on the Wood County Board of Health for 12 years, including two terms as president.

Speaking at the Dec. 19 ceremony will be Rebecca Tirabassi, representing the College of Arts and Sciences, and Mary Rucker, from the College of Education and Human Development.

Tirabassi will receive a bachelor of liberal studies degree, with a concentration in communications and telecommunications, 35 years after she initially enrolled at BGSU. She left during her sophomore year but “returned” to BGSU several years ago after learning about its online bachelor’s program in liberal studies, in which she was among the first students.

Rucker, the education speaker, will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies, as well as the Outstanding Senior in Human Development and Family Studies Award. The Oxford native plans to pursue a master’s degree in public service management at DePaul University in Chicago.

Among bachelor’s degree candidates, 20 are expected to graduate summa cum laude for maintaining a grade point average between 3.9 and 4.0. Seven of those students have perfect 4.0 averages and will receive Presidential Honors.

Magna cum laude honors will go to 30 students for maintaining grade averages in the 3.76-3.9 range, while 62 students will receive cum laude recognition, for averages in the 3.5-3.75 range. In addition, two BGSU Firelands students receiving associate degrees will graduate with highest distinction and eight others, with distinction, in recognition of their academic achievements.

# # #

(Posted December 11, 2009 )