Winter commencement set for Dec. 21
December 16, 2019
Photos by Craig Schreiner | Written by Kristine Zaballos
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will celebrate the achievements of its graduates at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, as proud families and friends gather for the 2019 winter commencement ceremony.
More than 757 students will cross the stage to receive their degrees. The ceremony, which is approximately two hours long, will be held at Kachel Fieldhouse.
This year’s commencement speaker is Rex Hanger, a professor in the Department of Geography, Geology and Environmental Science. Hanger is adamant about immersing his students in out-of-the-classroom experiences, with the guiding principle of “The best geologists are the ones who have seen the most rocks.” In 2018, UW-Whitewater awarded Hanger its highest academic accolade: the W.P. Roseman Excellence in Teaching Award. And in 2019 the UW System Board of Regents named him as one of two 2019 Regents Teaching Excellence individual award recipients.
The student speaker is Mikayla Frick. A native of Stoughton, Wisconsin, Frick has sought to deepen her understanding of diversity in human resource management by engaging in undergraduate research and completing internships at the Wisconsin Department of Justice and at American Family Mutual Insurance in Madison.
At the latter, her efforts to create programs and initiatives to support diversity — from company values to hiring practices to employee culture — resulted in the company creating a full-time position for her. Frick will be graduating with a BBA in human resource management.
The ceremony will recognize 82 undergraduates from the College of Arts and Communication, 226 from the College of Business and Economics, 149 from the College of Education and Professional Studies and 198 from the College of Letters and Sciences. Of the 647 undergraduate degrees awarded, 13 were completed online. The School of Graduate Studies will award 110 degrees, including 100 master's degrees and 10 doctorates.
The graduating class includes 13 international students, 51 military veterans and 147 nontraditional students, defined as undergraduate students who are 25 years of age or older. In addition, 57 self-identified students with disabilities will receive degrees.
A total of 87 graduating students, including Frick, participated in the university’s Hired Before Graduation campaign, which celebrates students who landed a job, were accepted to graduate school or started their own business before commencement.
Commencement will be broadcast live online by UWW-TV, the university television station.
For more information: https://www.uww.edu/commencement