Commencement ceremonies planned for proud Warhawks at UW-Whitewater

May 06, 2011

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will host two commencement ceremonies this spring as 1,472 students receive bachelor's, master's and education specialist degrees.

Bachelor's degrees will be awarded to 1,242 students in a ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 14, in Kachel Fieldhouse.

Another ceremony for 230 students receiving master's and education specialist degrees will be held at 3 p.m. that afternoon in Young Auditorium.

Chancellor Richard Telfer said separate ceremonies are being held to accommodate growing numbers of graduates and to allow a more personal focus.

"Clearly, it's a really happy day for everyone," Telfer said. "It tells us that we're making a difference in many ways because we get to see the successes of these individuals.''

Both ceremonies will be broadcast live and free online through Penn Atlantic, the company that also streams live video coverage of Warhawk athletic events. To watch commencement, go to www.pennatlantic.com, scroll down to May 14 and click on the event.

The speaker for the undergraduate ceremony will be David Kistenbroker, a 1975 graduate of UW-Whitewater who is a respected securities litigation attorney in Chicago. He is managing partner of the Chicago office of the law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman.

Kistenbroker, who earned master's and law degrees from Marquette University, credits professors at UW-Whitewater with igniting the intellectual curiosity that has guided his life and work.

At the graduate ceremony, the faculty speaker will be Jim Larson, a professor of psychology and coordinator of the university's respected school psychology program. An expert in school violence prevention, he has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wisconsin School Psychologists Association.

Student speakers will address the audience at each event. Casey McCall, of Brookfield, who is receiving her bachelor's degree in secondary English education, will address her fellow students at the undergraduate ceremony.

At the graduate ceremony, David Schwallier, of Madison, who is receiving a master's degree in business administration, will share insights gained as he studied and pursued entrepreneurship.

According to the registrar's office at UW-Whitewater, 1,242 undergraduates will receive degrees. That number represents 178 students from the College of Arts and Communication, 476 from the College of Business and Economics, 211 from the College of Education and Professional Studies and 377 from the College of Letters and Sciences.

Master's degrees will be awarded to 224 students, and six students will receive education specialist degrees.