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Alumni Return to Speak, Receive Honorary Degrees at Commencement |
| By
Rebecca Maggard |
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May 9, 2003 |
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Two UT graduates who have built names for themselves in the White House will return to their alma mater to give keynote addresses for the University’s two commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 10, in Savage Hall.
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| John Snow |
John Snow, U.S. Treasury Secretary, will speak during the morning commencement ceremony, beginning at 10 a.m., for the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Education. Rosie Mauk, director of AmeriCorps, will speak during the afternoon ceremony, beginning at 2 p.m., for the colleges of Business Administration, Health and Human Services, Pharmacy and University College.
Snow earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from UT in 1962. He became the 73rd secretary of the treasury in January after President George W. Bush nominated him for the post.
Prior to his appointment, Snow was chairman and chief executive officer of CSX Corp. During Snow’s tenure at CSX, he led the corporation to refocus on its railroad business, dramatically reduced injuries and train accidents, and improved its financial performance.
Snow has served at the Department of Transportation as administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, deputy undersecretary, assistant secretary for governmental affairs, and deputy assistant secretary for policy, plans and international affairs.
Snow’s knowledge of international industry stems from his tenure as chairman of the Business Roundtable, comprised of 250 chief executive officers of the nation's largest companies. From 1994 through 1996, he played a major role in supporting passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
He also holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Virginia and a law degree from George Washington University.
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| Rosie Mauk |
Mauk earned an associate degree from UT in 1967. In 2001, she was appointed director of AmeriCorps, a national service program that engages 50,000 Americans each year in intensive service to meet community needs in education, public safety and the environment.
For the past 25 years, Mauk has been a strong advocate of community service and an active participant in many volunteer and charitable organizations. In addition to working with Bush on service initiatives when he was governor of Texas, she served on the Texas Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service from 1995-2001, having been appointed by then Gov. Bush. She also helped found and served as chair of the American Association of State Service Commissions, and was president of Camp Fire USA’s national board of directors.
She has served on the boards of the United Way of Texas and the Preservation Society of Fort Worth, and was president of the AIDS Outreach Center and a founding board member of the Volunteer Center of Tarrant County.
She has won numerous awards, including the Governor’s Volunteer Leadership Award, Fort Worth Woman of the Year, and a Daily Point of Light award.
There are 2,447 candidates for degrees, including those who will finish classes in August, from the University’s seven colleges.
There are 603 candidates for graduate degrees — doctoral, education specialist and master’s degrees — and 1,844 for bachelor and associate degrees.
In addition, the University will award two honorary doctor of science degrees. The recipients will be:
• Helen Luedtke Brooks, a UT alumna who joined the faculty of the mathematics department in 1955 and played an integral role in establishing the astronomy department. She transformed a small set of courses in descriptive astronomy into a department that gained a world-class reputation. Brooks worked with George Ritter and John Turin to lead the construction of the Ritter Planetarium and the Ritter Astrophysical Research Center. She served as the first director of the planetarium, and she and her husband, Elgin, gave the University the Brooks Observatory atop McMaster Hall.
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| Dr. Nina McClelland, chair of the board of directors of the American Chemical Society, was on campus recently and spoke with Dr. Andy Jorgensen, center, and Dr. Alan Pinkerton of the chemistry department. |
• Dr. Nina McClelland, a UT alumna who became president and chief executive officer of NSF International in Ann Arbor, Mich. During her career, she has championed public health issues and raised purity standards for public drinking water. McClelland has served on committees with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the Centers for Disease and Control. After retiring, she founded a consulting service in 1995 and continues to share her expertise with international industrial and government clients. She is chair of the board of directors for the American Chemical Society.
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