UCSD commencement ceremonies to be held June 4, June 17 and June 18

May 19, 1995

Contact: Pat JaCoby, (619) 534-7404; Fax:(619) 534-1407

The University of California, San Diego will graduate approximately 3,620 students from five undergraduate colleges, two graduate schools and a graduate program in ceremonies to be held on the fourth, 17th and 18th of June at locations across the campus. More than 25,000 relatives and friends of the graduates are expected to attend the varied ceremonies.

Five undergraduate colleges--Eleanor Roosevelt, Muir, Revelle, Thurgood Marshall and Warren--will confer approximately 3,250 degrees. In addition to the undergraduate ceremonies, the Division of Graduate Studies and Research will issue degrees to 150 of its graduates; the School of Medicine will grant 120 degrees and the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS) will bestow another 70 degrees.

UCSD Chancellor Richard C. Atkinson noted that "the future economy and well-being of our state and nation depend on these outstanding young people, whom we feel are eminently prepared to help solve our many and varied problems. I believe these graduates of the University of California, San Diego are prepared to make important contributions to this complex world--we wish them the very best."

The School of Medicine

The UCSD School of Medicine will hold the first of UCSD's eight commencement ceremonies on Sunday, June 4, at 11 a.m., on the west lawn of the UCSD School of Medicine's Biomedical Library, at the corner of Gilman Drive and Osler Lane. One hundred and twenty members of the school's 24th graduating class will receive their medical degrees before an anticipated audience of 1,800 guests.

Commencement speaker will be David A. Kessler, M.D., who has served as Commissioner of Food and Drugs since December, 1990. He was appointed by President Bush and his appointment was continued by President Clinton.

Since becoming Commissioner, Kessler has instituted significant changes in the structure and operation of the Food and Drug agency. He has acted to speed approval of new drugs and has placed high priority on getting promising therapies to patients as quickly as possible. He has made changes in the device approval process to make it more efficient and ensure it meets high standards.

Under his direction the FDA has announced a number of programs, including nutrition labeling for food, user fees for drugs and biologics, preventive controls to improve food safety, measures to strengthen the nation's blood supply, and the MEDWatch program for reporting adverse events and product problems.

Earl Warren College

The four ceremonies slated for June 17 will begin at 9 a.m. when 700 graduates of Warren College receive their diplomas in ceremonies on the Thurgood Marshall College Playing Field. Student Rebecca Voltmer, a mathematics major, will be the commencement speaker. Graduate School of International Relations/Pacific Studies

Frank Newman, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, Washington, D.C., will be the commencement speaker at 11 a.m. ceremonies held by the Graduate School of IR/PS in the Robinson Building complex. Diplomas will be awarded 70 graduates.

"As the number two person at Treasury," said Dean Peter Gourevitch, "Newman knows the international financial landscape better than almost anyone else, and is intimately involved in the policy decisions that are reshaping that landscape."

Appointed to his current position in September, 1994, Newman represents the Treasury Department on the President's Working Group on Financial Markets, which includes the Federal Reserve Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission.

Thurgood Marshall College

Ceremonies for 600 graduates of Thurgood Marshall College will be held at 2 p.m. June 17 on the Thurgood Marshall College Playing Field. Willie Brown, professor emeritus, Department of Biology, will be the commencement speaker. Now retired, Brown served on the Thurgood Marshall (formerly Third College) faculty beginning in 1970.

During his tenure at UCSD Brown developed a microbiology major, initiated a NIH sponsored Minority Biomedical Research Support Program, initiated a mathematics workshop for minority scholars, and reported the first isolation, purification and possible function of a spore lytic enzyme in bacteria.

Eleanor Roosevelt College

The last of the June 17 graduations is scheduled at 4 p.m. when 350 Eleanor Roosevelt College scholars will receive diplomas before an estimated 3,500 family members and friends in the main arena of the Recreation \Intramural\Athletic and Event Complex.

Commencement speaker will be Charles Baguet, deputy director of the Peace Corps. Nominated by President Clinton, Baguet was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in March, 1994.

Baguet most recently served as the U.S. ambassador to Djibouti from 1991 to 1993. For the past 26 years he has worked as a Foreign Service officer in Washington, Paris, Hong Kong, Beirut and was the U.S. Consul General in Cape Town, South Africa from 1988 to 1991. A former high school social studies teacher, he was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Somali Republic before entering the Foreign Service.

John Muir College

Two graduating seniors--among several who auditioned with a prepared speech--were selected by a committee of students and faculty to serve as commencement speakers for Muir College ceremonies. Seniors Rahbeka Harris of Stockton, Ca., and Jefferson Stone of Pasadena will address the 800 graduates and an anticipated audience of 6,500 at the 9 a.m. ceremonies Sunday, June 18, on the Thurgood Marshall College Playing Field.

Division of Graduate Studies and Research

A 12 noon ceremony on June 18 in the Ballroom will feature a commencement talk by Marjorie C. Caserio, vice chancellor of Academic Affairs and professor of chemistry at UCSD. One hundred and fifty men and women will receive their graduate degrees during the ceremony. Caserio, who came to UCSD from UC Irvine in 1990, has announced her intent to retire when a new vice chancellor is chosen and approved by the UC Board of Regents. During her UCSD tenure she directed efforts to establish an undergraduate major at UCSD's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, a new major in women's studies, a department of ethnic studies, and a new doctorate program in mathematics/science education. Particularly concerned with graduate student financial hardships, she headed a campaign which raised more than $1 million for graduate student fellowships.

Revelle College

Last of the eight graduation rites at UCSD will be held at 2:30 p.m. June 18 on the Thurgood Marshall College Playing Field by , where 700 students are scheduled to receive diplomas before 5,000 family members and friends.

William Massey, University of California Provost and senior vice president, Academic Affairs, will give the opening remarks. Commencement speakers, selected by a student committee, will be faculty members Christine Norris, Literature Department, and Paul Saltman, Biology Department.

Editor's note: For additional awards information, contacts for the colleges and graduate divisions are: Joyce Felder, School of Medicine, 534-1393; Rene Barnett, Revelle College, 534-3492; Sandra Sutherland, Eleanor Roosevelt College, 534-2237; Brian Daly, Graduate School of IR/PS, 534-1985; Trudy LaDue, Muir College, 534-3586; Janet Haley, Warren College, 534-1720; Pat Hansen, Thurgood Marshall College, 534-4005; Indra Perez, Division of Graduate Studies and Research, 534-3436.

(May 19, 1995)