NewsRelease
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UNCG Commencement May 16 ushers in Reunion Weekend
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GREENSBORO – The University of North Carolina at Greensboro will hold its 111th commencement exercises at 10 a.m. Friday, May 16, in the Greensboro Coliseum.
High Point businessman Nido R. Qubein will be the speaker. During the ceremony, an honorary Doctor of Science degree will be presented to Dr. Jaylee Montague Mead of Washington, D.C., an alumna who had a 33-year career with NASA as a mathematician, an astronomer and an administrator.
Record attendance is likely. This year, UNCG is allowing May and August graduates to march in commencement and the total number of students eligible to participate is 2,102. The total number of degrees to be conferred for spring semester is 1,702 (41 doctoral degrees, 1,165 bachelor’s degrees, 518 master’s degrees, and 3 combined specialists in education-Master of Science degrees). More information is available at Commencement Central, UNCG's commencement website.
During Friday evening and Saturday, May 17, Reunion Weekend will be going on for UNCG alumni from classes ending in "3" and "8." The Alumni Association's annual meeting will take place at 10:45 a.m. Saturday in the Elliott University Center Auditorium. Distinguished Service Awards will be presented to two alumni. The Association's annual lunch gathering will follow from noon to 2 p.m. in Cone Ballroom.
A dedication ceremony for the new, nine-foot-tall statue of Minerva will be held from 10:15-10:30 a.m. A reunion gift from the Class of 1953, the statue was created by Greensboro sculptor Jim Barnhill (MFA '82) and stands in a landscaped area through which students pass to go from Elliott University Center to the center of the campus. Complete details are available at the Reunion website.
This year's event marks UNCG’s first non-Sunday commencement for spring semester. In the past, graduation had often been held on Mother’s Day. The day was changed to allow moms their due, and to respond to the concerns of families that wanted to attend Sunday worship services. Future spring commencements will be planned on Fridays.
New UNCG programs that will graduate their first students are the Master of Science degree program in gerontology, 7 students; the African American studies program, 2 students; and the undergraduate special education services program, 3 students. In the Bryan School of Business and Economics, UNCG’s largest professional school, twins Angela C. Crabb and Amanda G. Crabb, of Milton, will receive Master of Science degrees in accounting.
Qubein is the founder, chairman and CEO of Creative Services Inc., an international management consulting firm based in High Point. He is a partner in several other successful companies. His philanthropic activities, including a foundation that has provided over $2 million in scholarships, are widely recognized. Born in the Middle East in 1948, he came to America in 1966 with no knowledge of English and only $50 in his pocket, and his life since then has been a success story. His accomplishments earned him the Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor, an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Mount Olive College, and numerous other awards. He received the Bryan School of Business and Economics’ first Distinguished Alumni Award in 1999. He graduated from Mt. Olive College and High Point University and received his master’s degree from the Bryan School at UNCG.
Through his company, Creative Services, Qubein is an active speaker and consultant, annually addressing more than 100 business and professional groups around the world. He has received the highest awards given to professional speakers, including the Cavett Award, known as the Oscar of professional speaking, the Speakers Hall of Fame Award, and the Toastmasters Golden Gavel Award. He is a past president of the 4,000-member National Speakers Association and chairman of the organization’s foundation. He is author of a dozen books and numerous audio and video learning programs.
A partner with McNeill Lehman, the public relations and advertising firm, Qubein serves on the board of directors of BB&T Corporation and a member of the BB&T advisory board for the High Point area. He is chairman of Great Harvest Bread Company with 200 stores in 38 states and Canada, chairman of Business Life Inc., and chairman of the Miss North Carolina USA program. He also sits on the boards of 17 universities, companies and community organizations. He is a past chairman of the High Point Chamber of Commerce and has served as vice chairman of the High Point Community Foundation, the High Point First Committee, and as a member of the executive committee of High Point Partners.
Mead, in 1959, was one of the first professional women to be hired by NASA. During her 33-year tenure at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, she served as mathematician, staff astronomer and assistant chief of the Laboratory for Astronomy & Solar Physics. She established the Goddard Astronomical Data Center, a computerized data bank of stars and galaxies to aid astronomers in determining whether the objects they were viewing from space missions had already been identified, or were being discovered for the first time. During her tenure, she received the Goddard Award for Outstanding Service, the Women in Aerospace Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 1986 NASA Medal for Scientific Leadership. She retired in 1992 as associate chief of the Space Data & Computing Division.
Mead has maintained her connection to UNCG over the years. She pledged $1 million to help equip the new Science Building, which is nearing completion. To honor her, the 300-seat auditorium and adjoining gallery will be named the Jaylee Montague Mead Auditorium and Gallery. Groundbreaking for the $47.7 million, 170,000-square-foot building took place in March 2001. Construction is funded with a portion of the N.C. Higher Education Bonds. The estimated cost of equipping the building is $5 million, with $1 million coming from the state.
In 1997, Mead donated $100,000 to the Second Century Campaign to support the Merit Scholar Program, which provides scholarships to academically talented students. She has served on the Alumni Association Board of Trustees as member and vice president, the Excellence Foundation, and the Board of Visitors. She also served as a member of the Class of 1951 Reunion Gift Committee. In 1995, she received the UNCG Alumni Distinguished Service Award.
Currently active in many Washington non-profits, Mead serves on the boards of The Studio Theatre (chair for 7 years), Helen Hayes Theatre Awards, Corcoran College of Art, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers, and the Council on Foundations Committee on Family Foundations.
DIPLOMA CEREMONIES PLANNED
In conjunction with commencement exercises, the professional schools
and many departments in the College of Arts and Sciences will conduct diploma
ceremonies on campus or nearby. The following schools and departments will
conduct recognition ceremonies or have receptions on:
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