Over 30 student-athletes who participated on one of the athletic teams during the 2007-08 year put on their caps and gowns and joined the rest of the graduates at the school’s annual Commencement Ceremony Sunday morning, June 15, at Qwest Field.
For the second consecutive year, a student-athlete received the Matteo Ricci College Award for Excellence. Soccer player Luis Gamez, graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in humanities for teaching, was recognized as “one who marvels at the wealth of human experience, yet wonders at its meaning; is open to diverse explanations, yet demands critical reflection; acknowledges any truth, yet questions its value and relevance; serves the human community, yet asks whether its values accord with the continuing revelation of the divine to humanity.”
Soccer player Jen Hamann (B.A. Cultural Anthropology) and basketball player Jackie Thomas (B.A. Sociology) both graduated magna cum laude with departmental honors, while swimmer Chris Coley (B.S. Psychology & Philosophy) and soccer players Mickey Pelland (B.A. Spanish) and Ashley Porter (B.A. Business Administration ? Marketing) also graduated with magna cum laude honors. Graduating with cum laude honors were soccer players Kaitlyn Jackson (B.A. Humanities & Criminal Justice), Chris Hodges (B.A. Business Administration ? Finance), and Eric Forner (B.A. Business Administration ? Marketing) as well as volleyball star Nikole Thompson (B.A. Psychology).
Swimmers Chris Anderson (B.A. Humanities & Criminal Justice) and Kevin Daniels (B.A. Humanities & Business Administration ? Finance) each earned degrees in two majors. Other swimmers receiving degrees during the ceremony included Francesca Reale (B.A. Business Administration ? Marketing) and Gordon Smith (Bachelor of Criminal Justice). Track and field athletes Loyal Allen, Jr., (Bachelor of Social Work) and Travis Glover (B.S. Mechanical Engineering) walked across the stage during Sunday’s ceremony.
From the College of Arts and Sciences, degrees went to soccer players Peter Mullenbach (B.A. Communication Studies), Jason Cascio (B.A. Liberal Studies), Jasmine Wilson (B.A. Psychology), and Leah Wymer (B.A. Psychology), basketball players Michael Knight (B.A. Liberal Studies), Ryan Coldren (B.A. Sociology), Laina Sobczak (B.A. Sociology), and Kamrica Ary-Turner (B.A. Strategic Communications), softball player Brenda Stice (B.A. Journalism/Mass Communications), and volleyball player Josie Christiansen (B.A. Liberal Studies).
Soccer player Cameron Mertens (B.A. Business Administration ? Management) earned his degree from the Albers School of Business and Economics, while teammate John Fishbaugher (B.A. Biology) graduated from the College of Science and Engineering. Also earning degrees from CSE were softball players Jane Purdy (B.S. Biology) and Erin Martin (B.S. General Science and volleyball player Donnelle Nicaise (B.S. Mechanical Engineering).
Sam Kirby (B.A. Psychology) and Carly Fromdahl (B.A. Business Administration ? Marketing), student assistants on their respective basketball teams during the 2007-08 season, also received their degrees Sunday.
is a Jesuit-run institution with over 7,500 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled. The athletic department has begun the reclassification process towards membership in NCAA Division I.