CLARION, Pa. – Pennsylvania Western University’s Clarion campus will hold spring commencement ceremonies at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4, in the Tippin Gymnasium.
Undergraduate and graduate students from the College of Health Sciences and Human Services will participate in the 10 a.m. ceremony. The afternoon ceremony will include students from the College of Education, Arts, and Humanities and the College of Science, Technology, and Business.
“We look forward to celebrating the outstanding achievements of the Class of 2024, remembering that education isn’t a destination; it’s a lifelong adventure of curiosity, exploration and knowledge,” said Dr. R. Lorraine Bernotsky, interim president of PennWest. “There’s no doubt that the hard work and commitment that fueled these graduates on our campuses will propel them forward throughout the next steps of their personal and professional journeys.”
Dr. Susanne Fenske, vice president for Institutional Effectiveness, Student Affairs, University Police and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, will confer associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees upon graduates during the two ceremonies.
Dr. Deborah Kelly, dean of the College of Health Sciences and Human Services, will serve as master of ceremonies at Clarion. Before assuming her current role, Kelly was a nursing faculty member at Clarion for 18 years, a department chairperson and nursing administrator.
Lauren Kostosky, a graduate of Central Valley High School in Center Township, Pennsylvania, will deliver the student address at the 10 a.m. ceremony. Kostosky will earn a Bachelor of Science in speech pathology and audiology with summa cum laude honors. At Clarion, she was vice president of Student Senate.
Sydney Spang of Ford City, Pennsylvania, will address fellow members of the Class of 2024 at the afternoon ceremony. She will graduate summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in biology and dual minors in nutrition and fitness and chemistry.
Spang served as president of Student Senate and was a member of Eagle Ambassadors and Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society.
Additional speakers include Larry Pickett ’77 (10 a.m.) and Donna Oberlander ’91 (2:30 p.m.) from PennWest’s Council of Trustees, and Thomas Launer ’10, president of Clarion’s Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Leading the academic procession and representing his faculty colleagues by carrying the Ceremonial Mace will be Dr. Anthony Vega, professor of geosciences in the Department of Biology, Earth and Environmental Sciences.
The mace bearer distinction emphasizes the importance of faculty in PennWest’s academic environment and the central role that faculty play in the academic and personal development of students.
Members of Clarion Army ROTC will present the colors at the beginning of both ceremonies. Clarion vocalist Chloe Blashford will perform the Star-Spangled Banner and Clarion’s alma mater.
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