After years of papers, practicals and exams, some Gannon University students will finally receive their diplomas.
On Sunday, Gannon President Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D., will award 253 degrees when the university hosts its Winter Commencement ceremony. The graduates include six doctoral degree recipients, 168 master’s degrees, 76 bachelor’s degrees and three associate’s degrees. Three students will graduate summa cum laude, two magna cum laude, nine cum laude and two with academic honors.
Lindsey Kurtz, a senior English major, said the reality of her upcoming graduation hasn’t hit her yet.
“I’m not sure I quite believe that in two weeks I’ll be packing up for the last time and saying goodbye to the life I’ve made here,” she said. “Though I will be sad to leave my network of friends, I strongly believe that Gannon has prepared me for a solid future.”
Following graduation, Kurtz said she hopes to begin graduate school for English literature in the fall. Kurtz said she’s not worried about going into the job market as she has been offered a job that starts in January.
William M. Zeitler, who graduated from Gannon in 1969 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, will be the keynote speaker at Sunday’s ceremony.
Zeitler retired from IBM in 2008 and was senior vice president and group executive of IBM Systems and Technology Group, a $25 billion international operation employing approximately 40,000 people.
Zeitler currently serves on the boards of Vette Corporation and QLogic Corporation. He also serves as a consultant to several technology companies. In addition to his work at IBM, Zeitler served on the Board of Directors of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering and on the Board of the National Defense University Foundation.
Baccalaureate Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday in the Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel and the graduation ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. in the Hammermill Center. Both events are open to the public.
