UMUC EUROPE COMMENCEMENT 4 MAY 2019 In 1949, the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) was the only pioneering institution to send seven professors to teach military students in postwar Germany. This deep–rooted tradition of serving the military in war and peace continues to this day. This year, we are proud to celebrate our 70th year of delivering higher education overseas to U.S. military servicemembers and their families, exemplified through the incredible achievements of our students. CELEBRATING 70 YEARS OVERSEAS UMUC was founded in 1947 as the College of Special and Continuation Studies, a branch of the University of Maryland's College of Education, with locations in College Park and around the state. In 1949, UMUC became the first university to send faculty overseas to educate active-duty military personnel in Europe. What started off as a noble experiment, with seven professors in six cities in Germany, has turned into a globally-recognized, award-winning institution that includes graduates from all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and over 20 countries and territories worldwide. UMUC Europe is proud to be in a continued partnership with the U.S. government and the state of Maryland to provide quality education to 14,000 students annually in 17 countries and 50+ locations in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. We are wherever the military is, whether permanently stationed or deployed. Times have changed since those first classes in war-torn buildings 70 years ago. Now we deliver courses both on-site and online using cutting-edge technology, tailored class schedules for individual military units, and innovative live streaming formats at many locations. 2 More than one million servicemembers have taken UMUC courses. This long relationship has made the university particularly sensitive to the needs of the military community and has prepared UMUC to handle key details, including veterans benefits and the transfer of credit earned in military specialty schools. By proving that high standards of excellence can be maintained in nontraditional settings, UMUC has established itself as an integral part of military life. Students graduating from UMUC Europe in the Class of 2019 have earned 506 associate degrees, 560 bachelor’s degrees, and 209 master’s degrees. Graduates represent U.S. military communities across the European, Central, and Africa Commands, with many having served or currently serving in war zones. Worldwide over 13,300 graduates will have earned a UMUC degree this year. Today, UMUC remains committed to the same unifying mission, offering a high-quality education that is affordable and accessible, while meeting critical workforce needs and accommodating the busy lifestyles of adults in the 21st century and the modern U.S. Armed Forces. We are honored to celebrate 70 years of providing quality education to extraordinary students overseas, including those here today who have achieved an important educational milestone in their lives. 3 Below: The front page of the first edition of The Marylander, the student newspaper of the College of Special and Continuation Studies, which captured the early years of UMUC. UMUC WORLDWIDE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES TOKYO, JAPAN APRIL 13 OKINAWA, JAPAN APRIL 20 SEOUL, KOREA APRIL 27 RAMSTEIN, GERMANY MAY 4 GUAM MAY 11 ADELPHI, MARYLAND MAY 16-19 6 A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Dear UMUC Graduates, Congratulations on reaching this important milestone on the path of lifelong learning! I speak for everyone at University of Maryland University College when I say that it has been our honor to help you in the pursuit of your goals and your dreams. Today, you represent our greatest achievement, and we are proud to recognize and celebrate your success. I am also honored to offer a special salute to our active-duty members of the U.S. military and to our veterans who are graduating today. Your service to our country has earned you the respect and admiration of a grateful nation, and we are so pleased that you selected UMUC as your university of choice. We are deeply proud of all of you—proud of your achievements, proud of your growth and learning, and proud to welcome you to the ranks of UMUC alumni. I sincerely hope that you will embrace a broader role, standing together with every member of the worldwide UMUC family, united by the common goal of making the world a better, brighter place for yourself, for your loved ones, and for all. Again, congratulations to you and to all who share this special moment with you in person and in spirit. Sincerely, Javier Miyares President University of Maryland University College 7 SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019 RAMSTEIN, GERMANY COMMENCEMENT ORDER OF EVENTS ACADEMIC PROCESSIONAL GREETINGS Pomp and Circumstance Javier Miyares Sir Edward Elgar President University of Maryland Performed by University College Brass Sound Quintet Ellen R. Fish NATIONAL ANTHEMS OF Member, Board of Regents GERMANY AND THE University System of Maryland UNITED STATES Karen Olmstead Performed by Provost and Senior Vice President of Linda Casul Academic Affairs Senior Airman Salisbury University U.S. Air Forces in Europe Band STANLEY J. DRAZEK WELCOME TEACHING EXCELLENCE AWARD Tony K. Cho Denise M. DiStefano Vice President and Director Collegiate Professor University of Maryland University College Europe Theresa Martin Collegiate Assistant Professor WILLIAM C. BENTLEY MEMORIAL AWARD Nicole Sewell 8 COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS ASSISTED BY Major General Lloyd “Milo” Miles Patricia A. Coopersmith U.S. Army, Ret. Associate Vice President Senior Vice President and Deputy Director Global Military Operations University of Maryland University of Maryland University College Europe University College Janice A. Keller Director CONFERRING OF DEGREES Student Initiatives and Support University of Maryland President Miyares University College Europe Vice President Cho Andrew D. Boone RECESSIONAL Associate Vice Provost Hanseatic Suite (excerpt) University of Maryland Jacob de Haan University College Europe Performed by Provost Olmstead Brass Sound Quintet The audience is asked to remain seated during the processional and recessional. 9 SPEAKERS AND HONOREES COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER Major General Lloyd "Milo" Miles (U.S. Army, Ret.) currently serves as senior vice president of Global Military Operations at UMUC. In this role, he oversees the administration and management of the university's global operations and partnerships in more than 20 countries and territories in Europe, Africa, and Asia, including the Middle East. LLOYD “MILO” MILES Before joining UMUC in January 2015, General Miles served in the military for more than MAJOR GENERAL U.S. ARMY, RETIRED 32 years in a decorated career that included SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT multiple distinguished leadership positions in GLOBAL MILITARY education, training, strategic policy development, OPERATIONS operational deployments, and combat. In his last UNIVERSITY OF duty assignment, General Miles served as senior MARYLAND commander of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, one of UNIVERSITY COLLEGE the largest military organizations in the country, with approximately 40,000 soldiers and airmen and 15,000 government civilians and contractors. His various military assignments have enabled him to serve in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. He has commanded at every level from captain to major general in assignments that included one of the earliest peacekeeping missions to the Sinai Desert as a company commander; a battalion task force on a peace enforcement mission in Kosovo; combat operations in Iraq commanding an infantry brigade combat team; and the international effort to advise, train, and equip the Iraqi Army. 12 General Miles is the fourth soldier to be promoted to general as an amputee since the Civil War. He is the only amputee general to serve in either Iraq or Afghanistan and the only one to serve multiple combat tours after becoming an amputee. His principal staff assignments included serving as a battalion and brigade operations officer; liaison officer to the Egyptian Ministry of Defense in Cairo, Egypt; political-military planner for North Korea, Joint Staff, Pentagon; executive officer to the commander, U.S. Southern Command; and executive officer to the chief of staff of the Army. General Miles earned a BS in Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and an MS in National Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. 13 UMUC LEADERSHIP Javier Miyares is president of University of Maryland University College, the nation's largest public online university and a constituent institution of the University System of Maryland. Since his appointment in 2012, he has expanded access and opportunities for adult learners through key initiatives and has been in the forefront of leveraging “big data” and analytics to fuel advances in learning science. The university— JAVIER MIYARES which offers courses online and in a hybrid format PRESIDENT at more than 20 locations stateside and in more than 20 countries around the world—has also UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND expanded its corporate and institutional alliances UNIVERSITY COLLEGE under his leadership. Mr. Miyares has maintained a singular focus on quality, access, and affordability for Maryland's adult learners and members of the U.S. military around the world. The Maryland Completion Scholarship enables Maryland community college graduates to earn a bachelor's degree from UMUC for a total cost of $20,000—including their community college tuition. Through a partnership with Prince George's Community College and Prince George's County Public Schools, UMUC has also created the Prince George's 3D Scholarship pilot program that allows high-achieving students to earn college credit while still in high school and ultimately complete a bachelor's degree for $10,000 or less. In fall 2015, the university made headlines when it replaced publisher textbooks with open educational resources in all undergraduate courses, a move that saves students millions of dollars each year. UMUC's Graduate School followed suit in fall 2016.