UW Announces Spring 2019 Commencement Programs

A New York advertising executive and University of Wyoming graduate, an alumnus who is dedicated to improving rural mental health, and Wyoming’s superintendent of public instruction are the keynote speakers for UW’s spring commencement ceremonies Saturday, May 18.

They will be joined by three student speakers for the three ceremonies in UW’s Arena-Auditorium.

UW is scheduled to accord degrees upon 1,420 undergraduate students, 401 graduate students, 61 College of Law students and 43 School of Pharmacy students.A

Each ceremony is scheduled to last about two hours, featuring a keynote speaker, student speaker, a reading of all graduates’ names and presentation of diplomas to each student. The ceremonies will be broadcast live via UW’s WyoCast system.

The first ceremony, set for 8:30 a.m., is for students graduating from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the College of Business, the College of Engineering and Applied Science, the College of Health Sciences, and the School of Energy Resources. The WyoCast link is: https://wyocast.uwyo.edu/WyoCast/Play/e9302c67ecb4469ca7a0913a03ad50cb1d.

The second, starting at 12:15 p.m., is for all UW graduate students. The WyoCast link is: https://wyocast.uwyo.edu/WyoCast/Play/f4ab06b1efaf4fc593d91a54a9e51d3b1d.

The third, beginning at 3:30 p.m., is for students graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education, and the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. The WyoCast link is: https://wyocast.uwyo.edu/WyoCast/Play/5034221c046b435091b01d852c7463d21d.

UW’s College of Law will hold its own commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. The WyoCast link is: https://wyocast.uwyo.edu/WyoCast/Play/c4b987c6f4ab4d14bae5fa0dea86c9431d.

Two honorary degree recipients also will be honored at the undergraduate ceremonies.

The keynote speakers, student speakers and honorary degree recipients for the May 18 ceremonies are:

Keynote Speakers

-- 8:30 a.m. ceremony: Peter Sherman, executive vice president for Omnicom Group, a New York-based worldwide advertising company. A 1986 UW journalism graduate who grew up in Cheyenne, Sherman is a member of the UW Foundation Board of Directors. His career in the advertising world has included running agency operations in New York, Europe and North America from San Francisco, London, Milan and New York City.

-- 12:15 p.m. ceremony: Julian Good, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner in Cheyenne. After growing up in Sheridan, he received bachelor’s (2001) and master’s (2002) degrees in nursing from UW, then worked as a family nurse practitioner in North Dakota. In 2006, he joined UW’s Family Practice Residency Program in Cheyenne. He returned to UW as a student to obtain his post-master’s certificate as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (2012) and received a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from North Dakota State University in 2017. His dissertation, conducted at the UW Family Practice Residency Program in Cheyenne, focused on improving residents’ ability to screen for mental health disorders.

-- 3:30 p.m. ceremony: Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, who was elected to her second term in 2018. After growing up in Laramie and Gillette, she received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from UW (1993) and a master’s degree in education from Regis University (2005). She taught for more than a decade in Wyoming classrooms and was an adviser to former Gov. Matt Mead.

Student Speakers

-- 8:30 a.m. ceremony: Lauren Elliott, of Cheyenne, graduating with degrees in kinesiology and health and in Spanish, with minors in nutrition and honors.

-- 12:15 p.m. ceremony: Rachel Ratliff, of Laramie, graduating with a master’s degree in mental health counseling.

-- 3:30 p.m. ceremony: Benjamin Audevart, of Rock Springs, graduating with a degree in secondary English education.

Honorary Degree Recipients

-- 8:30 a.m. ceremony: Judy Shepard, of Casper, president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation Board of Directors and renowned civil rights advocate.

-- 3:30 p.m. ceremony: Judy Catchpole, former Wyoming superintendent of public instruction, education advocate and community volunteer.