PROCESSION - University
Degree candidates and faculty members participating in commencement will meet near the Administration Lawn at 8:00 a.m. to form a procession to the ASUI-Kibbie Activity Center. College signs will be posted; baccalaureate candidates meet with their college while candidates receiving graduate degrees line up with the College of Graduate Studies. Late arrivals will not receive a reader card or sit with their peers, which may make it difficult to cross the stage; therefore, please arrive on time for line up. At 8:30, local bagpipe and drum corps, Border Highlanders, will lead the procession west along University Avenue. In case of inclement weather, signs will be posted with new instructions around the lawn area.
PROCESSION – College of Law
Law degree candidates will meet, dressed in regalia, on the front steps of the Menard Law Building at 2:15 p.m. for a class photo. Candidates will then receive instructions for proceeding to the Memorial Gymnasium.
CEREMONIES
The University ceremony begins promptly at 9:30 a.m. after arrival of the Procession into the Kibbie Center. Graduate and baccalaureate degrees will then be conferred.
The College of Law Ceremony begins at 3:30 p.m. after the arrival of the procession into Memorial Gymnasium.
SPEAKERS
The University speaker, Kirstin Larson ’91, will deliver the commencement address. After graduating from the University of Idaho with a bachelor of arts degree, she worked in international marketing for Microsoft. As a group product manager for the Desktop Applications Division, she helped to develop marketing strategies for Microsoft Office and Excel software programs. She also served as director of brand strategy for Microsoft and director of marketing for MSN. After retiring to focus on raising her family, she found another passion: art collecting. In 2006, Larson and her husband founded FIND Art Consulting Services, which helps novice art collectors connect with emerging local artists. Larson’s other passion is community service. She is a member of the Kirkland Arts Council, the Kirkland Performance Center and the Kirkland Arts Center. She is also a member of the board of directors of the University of Idaho Foundation.
College of Law speaker: The college's commencement address will be provided by the Hon. B. Lynn Winmill, U.S. District Court of Idaho. He was appointed a U.S. District Judge for the District of Idaho in 1995 by President Clinton. He practiced law in Denver and Pocatello before being appointed a district judge for Idaho’s Sixth Judicial District in 1987. Winmill served as an adjunct professor at Idaho State University from 1991 to 1995. He is a member of the Idaho State Bar Association and the Sixth District Bar Association. He participated in the Idaho Humanities Council and the Boy Scouts of America. He serves on the Information Technology Committee of the U.S. Judicial Conference and is a member of the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council. Winmill earned his undergraduate degree from Idaho State University and his juris doctorate from Harvard Law School.
HONORARY DEGREES
Honorary degrees are awarded to a person deserving honor by virtue of scholarly distinction, noteworthy public service or significant contributions to the state. Three individuals will receive honorary degrees:
Duane Hagadone, Roger Ottmar and Tony Stewart.
Duane Hagadone is a third-generation Idahoan. He is chairman and chief executive officer of Coeur d’Alene-based Hagadone Corp., which encompasses newspapers, publishing, property management and hospitality services, including the Coeur d’Alene Resort. Among numerous honors, Hagadone received the 2004 Horatio Alger Award. He and his wife are active supporters of community organizations, including the Kootenai Humane Society, the Coeur d’Alene Library Foundation, the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre and United Way. Hagadone was twice the chairman of the Kootenai County United Way Fund, in 1964 and 2007. He currently is honorary chairman of the committee to build a new Boys and Girls Club for Kootenai County. He has endowed 60 annual scholarships for Idaho students to attend colleges and universities in Idaho. He has been inducted into the University of Idaho Alumni Hall of Fame and the Idaho Hall of Fame, and received the 2006 Idaho Business Leader of the Year Award. Hagadone will receive an honorary doctor of business administration degree from the University of Idaho.
Research forester Roger Ottmar has spent nearly three decades focused on fire science, education and outreach. His pioneering work on the physical properties of wildland fuels and how they contribute to fire behavior, smoke production and atmospheric pollution has earned him worldwide respect. He works with the fire and environmental research applications team at the Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory in Seattle. His research interests are in fire effects, fuel consumption, fuel loading quantification, emissions production and impacts on air quality and human health. He is the author of more than 100 research publications and has been the principal investigator on more than 75 research projects. Ottmar earned a bachelor of arts degree from Eastern Washington University and bachelor of science and master of science degrees from the University of Washington. Ottmar will receive an honorary doctor of natural resources degree from the University of Idaho.
Tony Stewart is a professor, lecturer, human rights advocate and author. Stewart began teaching political science and advising pre-law students at North Idaho College in 1970, where he served as chair of social sciences for 14 years. He founded and chairs the North Idaho College Popcorn Forum Lecture Series, and founded and introduces “North Idaho College TV-Public Forum.” Stewart was a founding member of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations and the five-state Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment, and served terms as president of both organizations. He also served as founding board member of the Human Rights Education Institute, is vice chair of the North Idaho College Human Rights and Diversity Committee, and has served for 18 years as faculty adviser of the North Idaho Human Equality Club. Among his many honors is the 2006 Idaho Humanities Council Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Humanities. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Carolina University and a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee. He has done graduate work toward a doctoral degree at Washington State University. Stewart will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from the University of Idaho.
HALL OF FAME
The University of Idaho Alumni Association Hall of Fame was created in 1962. It recognizes individuals who have achieved national or international distinction through their accomplishments and leadership. Three individuals will be inducted: Dr. Todd Kuiken, Otis Livingston and Dayaldas T. Meshri.
Dr. Todd Kuiken is associate dean of Academic Affairs at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Feinberg School of Medicine and director of the Neural Engineering Center for Artificial Limbs at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. As a physician-scientist, Kuiken has been a leader in the design and implementation of new prosthetic systems. His achievements have improved, and continue to improve the quality of life for amputees. Kuiken attended Idaho from 1978-1981 and majored in biology and mechanical engineering. He is a native of Twin Falls, Idaho, and earned his medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School in 1990. He has been named Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago Magazine. Kuiken holds four patents on innovative prosthetic devices.
Otis Livingston '91 is remembered by Vandal fans for his leadership on the basketball court. He helped lead Idaho to the 1990 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. With his degree in telecommunications, Livingston became a sports broadcaster and now is sports anchor for "Today in New York" on WNBC-TV in New York City. He has contributed to NBC Sports coverage of the NBA and Stanley Cup finals, the World Series, the U.S Open tennis championship, and the Athens and Torino Olympic Games.
Dayaldas T. Meshri '68 is president and chief executive officer of Advanced Research Chemicals, based in Catoosa, Okla., with facilities in Mexico and India. The company, founded by Meshri, is one of the world's largest producers of custom fluorine-based chemicals. A native of India, Meshri earned his doctoral degree in chemistry at Idaho, and completed post-doctoral studies at Cornell University. He serves on the board of directors for the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology and is an active philanthropist.
