Gov. Jim Doyle to deliver Spring Commencement address
Released: April 13, 2004
Gov. Jim Doyle will address more than 1,300 graduates of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater during spring commencement ceremonies held on Saturday, May 15 at Kachel Field House.
“We are very pleased that Governor Doyle will be here to help commemorate this special day for our graduates and their families,” said Chancellor Jack Miller. “Commencement is a lasting memory for our graduates, and the Governor’s involvement will make it all the more memorable.”
Receiving degrees on May 15 will be a total of 1,086 undergraduates — 176 in arts and communication; 359 in business and economics; 204 in education; and 347 in letters and sciences. A total of 266 master’s degree candidates will also be recognized.
Doyle, who began his tenure as Wisconsin’s 44th governor in January 2003, also served as the state’s attorney general from 1990 ú 2002. Doyle earned a law degree in 1972 from Harvard University and completed his bachelor’s degree at UW-Madison after studying for three years at Stanford University.
Doyle is married to Jessica Laird Doyle and they have two adult sons, Gus and Gabe. Doyle’s parents, James and Ruth Bachhuber Doyle, were founding members of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. The governor credits his parents with instilling in him the belief that “politics and government are honorable professions and that public service is a way to improve people’s lives.”
Before embarking on a political career that spans three decades, Gov. Doyle and the First Lady also served for a year in the Peace Corps in the late 1960s. After law school, Gov. Doyle served as a federal attorney for the Navajo Indian Reservation in Chinle, Arizona, while the First Lady taught at the local elementary school.
The spring student speaker will be graduating senior Jason Wiedenhoeft of Whitewater. A past president of Whitewater Student Government in 2002-03, Wiedenhoeft is also involved in the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and will receive his degree in management computer systems.
- Brian Mattmiller ,npa@uww.edu
