By Steve Gilliam, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 3-28-08
GREENSBORO, NC – Thomas W. Ross, Davidson College’s president and a former superior court judge who guided a major revision of sentencing guidelines for the state court system, will be the commencement speaker for The University of North Carolina at Greensboro on Friday, May 16.
UNCG’s 116th graduation will be the final one for Chancellor Patricia A. Sullivan, who is retiring on July 31. From her first commencement in May 1995 through last December’s graduation, a total of 35,484 degrees have been awarded – 24,357 undergraduates, 10,097 masters and 1,030 doctorates – or approximately one-third of the degrees awarded in UNCG's history.
UNC President Erskine Bowles will be on hand to bring greetings to the graduating class, and will join UNCG Trustees administrators, and other well-wishers on the platform.
The ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m. in the Greensboro Coliseum. The university will recognize students who have completed degrees at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. Three honorary degrees also will be presented.
Ross became the 17th president of Davidson College on Aug. 1, 2007, after three decades of leadership and public service in North Carolina. In addition to his 17 years service as a superior court judge, he also headed the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. He was a member of the UNCG Board of Trustees from 2003-07, serving two terms as chair from 2005-07.
A Greensboro native, Ross graduated from Davidson in 1972 and went on to graduate with honors from the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law. He taught at the university's School of Government, joined a Greensboro law firm and served for one year in Washington, D.C., as chief of staff of Congressman Robin Britt.
In 1984, Gov. Jim Hunt appointed Ross as a superior court judge – at the time, the youngest in the state. While working with felony cases, Ross became familiar with problems in the state justice system that caused uneven sentencing and a burgeoning prison population. In 1990, the Chief Justice of the N.C. State Supreme Court appointed him to chair a new Sentencing and Policy Advisory Committee, with a 23-member panel of judges, lawyers, legislators, citizens and law enforcement officers.
Over two years, the panel created a structured sentencing system that was eventually accepted by the legislature and became a model for programs nationwide. Over time, the system has saved the state hundreds of millions of dollars by prioritizing the use of prison resources without increasing risk to public safety.
Ross’s efforts earned him the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence from the National Center for State Courts. Chief Justice Rehnquist, now deceased, presented the award personally to Ross in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court. In 1999, N.C. Chief Justice Burley Mitchell appointed Ross as director of the state’s Administrative Office of the Courts.
Soon after, the trustees of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation invited him to become its executive director. His seven years at the foundation involved him in state issues and politics, advocating for legislative reform and creating coalitions of non-profit agencies to increase their influence in public affairs.
Details for graduates and their families are available on the Commencement Central website.
