Published: May 22, 2007 06:58 pm            

Rose to present degrees at 129th commencement

Ceremony set for 11 a.m. Saturday

TERRE HAUTE — The 129th commencement at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Saturday will feature the awarding of a record number of degrees during the ceremony that begins at 11 a.m. in the Sports and Recreation Center.

Rose-Hulman President Gerald Jakubowski will present graduating students with 422 degrees which will include 383 bachelor of science degrees and 39 master’s degrees. The total number of degrees and the number of bachelor’s degrees to be presented is the most since 2003 when 347 bachelor of science degrees were awarded from a total of 392 degrees presented.

In addition, an honorary doctor of engineering degree will be conferred upon Dennis Paustenbach, president and founder of San Francisco-based Chemrisk Inc., a consulting firm specializing in human and ecological risk assessment and risk analysis of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Paustenbach has earned distinction for giving advice about how to clean-up chemically contaminated sites and for creating a better understanding about the health risks of chemicals posed by both the natural and man-made environments. He is a board-certified toxicologist and industrial hygienist with nearly 25 years of experience.

Paustenbach has served as adviser to and visiting scientist at the Harvard Center for Risk Assessment and on panels for the National Center for Environmental Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the National Academy of Sciences, and the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission. He graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering.

He earned a master’s degree in industrial hygiene from the University of Michigan, a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Indiana State University, and a doctorate in environmental toxicology from Purdue University. He is the editor of two highly-regarded college text books and is author of 200-peer reviewed publications, 40 book chapters and 300 conference presentations.

The commencement address will be given by Michael Hatfield, president and chief executive officer of Cyan, Inc., in Petaluma, Calif.

He is a highly successful entrepreneur and engineer who is leading the growth of his third technology-based company in California. His newest venture, Cyan, Inc., is a telecommunications systems company that builds advanced systems to meet the demands placed on high-bandwidth, real-time networks. Prior to founding Cyan, Hatfield was a founder and the president and CEO of Calix Inc., a leading supplier of telecommunications solutions designed to simplify all aspects of voice, data and video service delivery for local exchange carriers of all sizes. The first company Hatfield helped to create was Cerent Corporation, an industry leader in high-speed optical transport.

Hatfield earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering and mathematical economics from Rose-Hulman in 1984. He also received an MBA in finance from Indiana University. A major gift from Hatfield and his wife, Deborah, to his alma mater enabled Rose-Hulman to build Hatfield Hall, an outstanding facility that houses a 600-seat theatre, an Alumni Center, rehearsal rooms for student performing arts groups and administrative officers for alumni affairs, development and public relations. Hatfield Hall opened in August, 2002.

The building is named in honor of Mike’s parents, Larry and Pat. Mike Hatfield is also a member of the Rose-Hulman Board of Trustees. He serves as the chair of the trustees’ academic affairs committee.

Hatfield is a founder and board member of two non-profit organizations. The Indianapolis-based Indiana Venture Center is a catalyst for the creation and growth of entrepreneurial, high-growth businesses in Indiana. The Housing Land Trust of Sonoma County increases home ownership opportunities to low- and moderate-income families in Sonoma County, Calif., while ensuring permanent housing affordability through the use of a land trust model.

Special student honors to be presented at commencement include the Heminway Medal, given to the graduating senior with the highest grade point average; the Herman Moench Distinguished Senior Commendation, for outstanding potential for professional achievement; the John Tuller Royse Award, for outstanding leadership, academic achievement and participation in extracurricular activities, and the Outstanding Graduate Thesis Award.

Also to be announced at commencement will be the recipients of the Dean’s Outstanding Teacher Award, the Board of Trustees’ Outstanding Scholar Award and the President’s Outstanding Service Award.

Twenty-seven members of the class of 1957 will receive 50th anniversary diplomas during the graduation program.

The Rose-Hulman commencement ceremony will be broadcast live on the Internet by accessing www.rose-hulman.edu/Gradcast.

        

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