Boise State University celebrated its 98th Commencement ceremony May 7 in Taco Bell Arena, closing out another academic year of accomplishments and university firsts.
In total this spring, 2,334 students were eligible to receive 2,561 degrees and certificates. Of those, 594 were eligible for honors: 352 cum laude, 191 magna cum laude and 51 summa cum laude. Thirteen doctoral students were hooded.
President Bob Kustra sent off the graduates with a message for the future: “Your education is hardly complete with the degree we confer on you today,” he said, encouraging students to continue learning throughout their lives.
Saturday’s ceremony included the awarding of an honorary doctorate to acclaimed author Timothy Egan for his contributions to the humanities. Egan is the author of eight books, including the National Book Award-winning “The Worst Hard Time,” a history of the Dust Bowl era in the 1930s, and “The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America,” a fascinating history of the devastating forest fires that swept across northern Idaho in 1910. His latest book is “The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero.”
Egan encouraged the graduates to “freeze this moment in memory,” adding that graduating from college is a memory that will last a lifetime. Egan talked about reporting for his award-winning books and urged the graduates to “find time to do what your heart desires” and to “go out and find your story.”
Boise State celebrated a number of firsts this semester, among them, earning the rank of a Carnegie doctoral research university and graduating the first students in three doctoral programs.
The first Boise State doctor of nursing practice program graduated five nurse leaders: Cherno Bah, Pamela Fields, Andrea Lambe, Claudia Miewald and Jennifer Palagi, the first doctoral graduates ever from Boise State’s School of Nursing and College of Health Sciences.
The College of Education offered Boise State’s first doctoral program, an Ed.D., beginning in 1992. At Saturday’s ceremony, the college continued that tradition of innovation by graduating Donna Ledford, Patty McGinnis, Dwayne Ockel, Kellie Taylor and Sarah Rich, the first cohort from the fully online Ed.D. in educational technology program.
The College of Education also graduated the first 10 students from the education specialist program, the first of its kind in Idaho. It aims to help meet the increasing need to prepare educational leaders at the district level.
The biomolecular sciences Ph.D. program also graduated its first doctoral candidate, Cheri L. Lamb. The interdisciplinary program in the College of Arts and Science focuses on preparing students to satisfy the needs of a growing biotechnology and medical community in a 21st-century world.
Alaggio Laurino from Keuterville, Idaho, delivered the student address and graduated with degrees in history of art and visual culture, and visual art. Laurino’s speech echoed that of President Kustra’s and encouraged graduates to continue their education for a lifetime. He quoted William Shakespeare, saying that Saturday’s graduates will “play many parts” throughout their lives.
Laurino’s excellent academic achievements are evident in his recognition on the Dean’s List with highest honors for seven semesters, as well as being the recipient of multiple scholarships. He has been involved with multiple major theater productions during his time at Boise State, including as a writer for two full-length plays produced by the Boise State Theatre Majors Association.
More than 4,000 students graduated from Boise State this academic year — the most of any university in Idaho. Boise State awards about 46 percent of all bachelor’s degrees conferred by Idaho public universities each year, and has become home of the state’s largest graduate school.
BY: BRADY W MOORE PUBLISHED 12:42 PM / MAY 7, 2016