News Archives - 2009
June commencement highlights science
On Sunday, June 28, undergraduate and graduate students from Minneapolis and Rochester will celebrate their graduation from Augsburg College. For a complete listing of events, go to www.augsburg.edu/commencement.
As in the May commencement ceremony, both the featured speaker and honorary degree recipient are well known for their distinguished careers related to science and education.
Augsburg is honored to welcome Eric J. Jolly, PhD, president of the Science Museum of Minnesota, as the June commencement speaker. Jolly is a member of the Augsburg College Board of Regents and is recognized for his commitment to science and mathematics education, striving to educate young people as the future workforce and to create an informed citizenry that engages science in public policy issues.
An honorary degree will be conferred upon Jane Lubchenco, PhD, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration (NOAA) and under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere. She is the first woman and first marine biologist to lead NOAA.
Prior to joining the Science Museum of Minnesota, Jolly was vice president and senior scientist at the Education Development Center, a research and development organization that provides curriculum and innovative education programs around the world. In 1994 Jolly founded the National Institute of Affirmative Action and was a founding partner of the national "Collaboration for Equity" project.
Author of books, scholarly articles, and curricula, he most recently co-authored Engagement, Capacity, and Continuity: A Trilogy for Student Success, a study on education and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
A member of the Cherokee Nation, Jolly is recognized for his work in the Native American community as a traditional storyteller and fiber artist, with several of his pieces in private and public collections including the Swope Museum and Gallery, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Quisenberry Collection. He is a life member of Native Americans in Science.
Jolly earned master's and doctoral degrees in psychology at the University of Oklahoma. His undergraduate studies were in psychology and physics at the University of Rhode Island.
Jane Lubchenco was confirmed in March 2009 as administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration (NOAA) and under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere. She is the first woman and first marine biologist to lead NOAA.
Lubchenco is one of the most highly respected and cited ecologists in the world and has championed the importance of science and its relevance to policymaking and human well-being. Since 1977 she has taught at Oregon State University and serves as the Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology and Distinguished Professor of Zoology. For 10 years she led the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans, an interdisciplinary team of scientists who study the marine ecosystem off the West Coast of the United States.
Lubchenco earned her doctoral degree in ecology at Harvard University and taught there for two years. She also holds a master's degree in zoology from the University of Washington and a bachelor's degree in biology from Colorado College.
A complete schedule of June commencement activities is available at www.augsburg.edu/commencement.
