U of U Commencement Program 2023

GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Graduates,

Congratulations, Class of 2023, from everyone at the University of Utah! I am delighted to join with you, your classmates, and loved ones to celebrate this milestone. I commend your hard work, resilience, and dedication to realize this accomplishment. You’ve done it, and all of us at the U are incredibly proud of you!

When some of you began your journey at the U, the world was in the midst of a global pandemic and life was different. A lot has changed since then, but one thing that hasn’t is that you are graduating at a moment of great opportunity. It is my sincere hope that you are excited about what lies ahead.

Regardless of where your journey takes you next, you will be needed. Lean into the talents and education you have gained here at the U. Be an agent of change in your own life and the lives of others. I like to talk a lot about inspire, innovate, and impact as we work toward a common future for this university. Let me encourage you to think about these three concepts as you build your future— and the future of our community and world.

As members of the U community, you helped create a rich, diverse, and vibrant learning environment. You showed resolve to push yourself to explore, discover, collaborate, and create. I hope you had unforgettable experiences and made connections that will last a lifetime.

Also remember to give thanks on this red-letter day. Today is an opportunity to acknowledge the family, friends, faculty, staff, and others who encouraged and supported you during your time at the U. Remember their contributions to your achievements. One day you might have an opportunity to make a similar impact in the life of a student.

Finally, while commencement is the closing of a chapter, it also opens a brand new one. I am a proud University of Utah alum, and today I welcome you into our family—300,000-strong. You are joining a worldwide network of U graduates using their exceptional talents and education to make a difference in the world.

Again, congratulations. I look forward with great anticipation to what you will accomplish, and I wish you the best of luck and success. You will always have a home here at the U.

Sincerely,

Taylor Randall President, University of Utah

COMMENCEMENT PROGRAM

Prelude Music

Performed by the University of Utah Wind Ensemble — Darrin Thiriot, Conductor

Processional of Official Party, Faculty, and Degree Candidates

Indigenous Land Acknowledgement Statement

Mitzi M. Montoya, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

The National Anthem

Emmalyne Jaime Parke, Vocal Performance Major

Welcome

Taylor R. Randall, President

Recognition of Faculty Award Recipients

Mitzi M. Montoya, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Presentation of Rosenblatt Prize

Taylor R. Randall, President

Introduction of Student Speaker

Lori McDonald, Vice President for Student Affairs

Student Speaker

Chloe Carr

Conferral of Honorary Degrees

Christian Gardner, Chair, Board of Trustees

Honorary Degree Recipients

Frances P. Battle, William Higuchi, Richard E. Marriott, Camilla Smith

Introduction of Speaker

Taylor VanderToolen, ASUU Student Body President

Commencement Address

Tim Shriver, Special Olympics International Chair and Dignity Index co-creator

Welcome to the U Alumni

Glenn Seninger, Alumni Board of Governors, President

Presentation of Candidates and Conferral of Graduate Degrees and Certificates

David Kieda, Dean, Graduate School

Presentation of Candidates and Conferral of Baccalaureate Degrees and Certificates

Academic Deans

Utah Fight Song

University of Utah Marching Band

Commencement Recessional

Calvin S. and JeNeal N. Hatch Prize in Teaching

Kenneth M. Golden Distinguished Professor, Department of Mathematics College of Science

Community Engaged Teaching and Scholarship Award

Aaron J. Fischer

Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology College of Education

Distinguished Faculty Service Award

Amos N. Guiora Professor (Lecturer)

S. J. Quinney College of Law

Shannon Jones

Assistant Professor (Clinical), Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology College of Health

Distinguished Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Mentor Award

Katharine Ullman

Associate Dean, Graduate School

Professor, Oncological Sciences

Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine

Dennis L. Parker

Professor, Radiology and Imaging Sciences

Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine

Kent A. Ono

Professor, Department of Communication College of Humanities

Distinguished Professor

Karen S. Wilcox

Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology College of Pharmacy

Kent A. Ono Professor, Department of Communication College of Humanities

MaryAnn Christison Professor, Department of Linguistics College of Humanities

Michael Morse Professor, Department of Chemistry College of Science

Richard B. Brown

Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Kahlert School of Computing

Dean, John and Marcia Price College of Engineering

RonNell Andersen Jones Professor

S.J. Quinney College of Law

Distinguished Research Award

Brett Clark

Professor, Department of Sociology College of Social and Behavioral Science

Valerio Pascucci Professor, Kahlert School of Computing

John and Marcia Price College of Engineering

Alana Welm Professor, Department of Oncological Sciences Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine/Huntsman Cancer Institute

THE ROSENBLATT PRIZE

The Rosenblatt Prize, a $50,000 cash award, is presented annually at commencement to “recognize, encourage, and honor excellence in teaching, research, and administrative efforts, collectively or individually.” The prize is granted through an endowment established by the late Utah industrialist Joseph Rosenblatt. The endowment was created to honor Nathan and Tillie Rosenblatt, on the centenary of their immigration to Utah, and in recognition of their legacy of civic leadership and generosity. The award has been given annually since 1984. The most recent prize was awarded in 2022 to Thure E. Cerling, chair of the Department of Geology and Geophysics, Francis H. Brown Presidential Chair, Distinguished Professor of Geology and Geophysics and Distinguished Professor of Biology. The 2023 recipient will be announced during today’s program.

Distinguished Teaching Award

Brian Codding

Professor, Department of Anthropology College of Social and Behavioral Science

Kevin Hanson

Associate Professor, Department of Film and Media Arts College of Fine Arts

Claudio A. Holzner

Professor, Department of Political Science College of Social and Behavioral Science

Kirk Nichols

Associate Professor (Lecturer), Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism College of Health

Alf Seegert

Associate Professor (Lecturer), Department of English College of Humanities

Early Career Teaching Award

Claudia De Grandi

Associate Professor (Lecturer), Department of Physics and Astronomy College of Science

Ashley Guajardo

Associate Professor (Lecturer), Division of Entertainment Arts and Engineering

John and Marcia Price College of Engineering

Jacob Hochhalter

Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering

John and Marcia Price College of Engineering

Lauren Barth-Cohen

Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Psychology College of Education

Sean Howe

Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics College of Science

Talīa Dajes

Assistant Professor , Department of World Languages and Cultures College of Humanities

Honors Professor

Michael White

Associate Professor (Lecturer), LEAP and Early College Honors College

John R. Park Teaching Fellowship

Udita Gupta

Associate Professor, Urban Institute for Teaching Education College of Education

Christopher Mead

Associate Professor (Lecturer) Honors College

Outstanding Public School Teacher

Anthony Miller Washington Elementary Salt Lake City School District

Public Service Professor

Hallie Jay Pope

Visiting Associate Professor

S. J. Quinney College of Law

University Professor (Two-Year Term, 2023-25)

Cynthia Furse

Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

John and Marcia Price College of Engineering

Michael Scarpulla

Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

John and Marcia Price College of Engineering

John

G.

Francis Prize for Undergraduate Student Mentoring

Akiko Kamimura

Associate Professor, Department of Sociology College of Social and Behavioral Science

HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS

Frances P. Battle Doctor of Education

For more than four decades, Frances P. Battle has made a difference in the lives of countless students in Salt Lake City. She started her career in 1975 as an English teacher at Jordan Intermediate School before moving to Glendale Middle School, then Northwest Middle and Bryant Middle schools, where she served as principal. She continues to shape the lives of young teenagers as the current principal of Nibley Park Middle School. Her efforts to encourage, mentor and write recommendation letters for students can be attributed to many who are attending and graduating from the university today. Her willingness to engage students, faculty and parents has created systemic changes at the schools she led. A strong advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion, Battle serves on the Pastor France A. Davis Scholarship Fund and Zions Bank Community boards and was previously on the board of Ballet West. She graduated from Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia, and earned a master’s degree in education from Westminster College in 1978. She is married to Jerome Battle, former chief information officer of Salt Lake County.

William “Bill” Higuchi Doctor of Science

Bill Higuchi is a longtime U professor of pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical chemistry, where his tenure spanned from 1982 to 2007. Higuchi’s academic career started in 1959 at the University of Wisconsin, where he worked for three years, before spending 20 years at the University of Michigan. Higuchi earned a doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of California-Berkeley. His research focused on optimizing drug transport efficiency through the skin, mucosal membranes, and within the gastrointestinal tract, and improving drug residence time inside target sites of the body. He also pioneered tooth and bone preservation bio-mineralization models and was a co-founder and board chair of Utah biopharmaceutical companies TheraTech, Lipocine, Spriaso, and Aciont. Higuchi has received an honorary degree from the University of Michigan and Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun. He serves on the advisory board of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, which works to preserve the Japanese internment center where he met his late wife, Setsuko, as a child during World War II.

Richard “Dick” E. Marriott Doctor of Business

Dick Marriott began his career in the hospitality industry working as a teenager in his parents’ Hot Shoppes restaurants. He officially joined the Marriott company as a manager in 1965 after graduating from Harvard Business School. A U alum (BS’63, finance), Marriott has been actively engaged with charitable and nonprofit organizations. He has served as chair of both the Polynesian Cultural Center and Bridges from School to Work, as well as on the boards of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the National Ability Center and as a member of the National Advisory Council of Brigham Young University’s Marriott School. Under his leadership, the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation has been involved with mental health initiatives through the University of Utah’s Huntsman Mental Health Institute and continues to support fine arts, business, and the Marriott Library at the university. A dedicated philanthropist, Marriott and his wife, Nancy, also a graduate of the U (BS’63, elementary education), signed the Giving Pledge in 2013.

Camilla Smith Doctor of Humane Letters

A longtime philanthropist and supporter of education, Camilla Smith is a trustee of many national and community boards, including the Interfaith Center at the Presidio, the PBS Foundation, the NPR Foundation, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the University of CaliforniaBerkeley Library and the Science Friday Initiative. Smith received her bachelor’s degree in English and French from Brigham Young University in 1968 and her master’s degree in English Education from Columbia University in 1972. She worked in publishing, including for G.P. Putnam’s Sons Publishers and Columbia University Teacher’s College Press and at the New York City Board of Education. She is the current editor of UC Berkeley’s Bancroftiana, a newsletter about the institution’s special collections. Her husband, George Smith, Jr., is the co-founder and president of Signature Books. Most recently, she is the past president and trustee of the Leakey Foundation, whose mission is to increase scientific knowledge, education, and public understanding of human origins. The Leakey Foundation’s communication and outreach award is named after her.

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

Tim Shriver Special Olympics International Chair and Dignity Index co-creator

Shriver leads the Special Olympics International Board of Directors, representing 6 million Special Olympics athletes in more than 200 countries— promoting health, education, and a more unified world through the joy of sport. Special Olympics was founded by his mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, in 1968. Shriver joined Special Olympics in 1996.

A former teacher, Shriver has led the field of study which focuses on the social and emotional factors in learning. He co-founded and currently chairs the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), the leading school reform organization in the field of social and emotional learning.

In 2018, Shriver founded UNITE, a think tank of national leaders working to “ease divisions, prevent violence, and solve problems in our country.” UNITE launched the Dignity Index Utah Demonstration Project last fall—the first public effort to refine the Dignity Index, a social science tool designed to show the contempt or dignity in the language people use when they disagree.

“I’m thrilled to have been invited to join the Class of 2023,” notes Shriver. “This is a generation that understands the urgency of choosing to include, of easing divisions, and of solving our country’s most pressing problems. I can’t wait to be a part of the movement they are creating to unite our country in common purpose.”

Shriver earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University, a master’s degree from Catholic University, and a doctorate in education from the University of Connecticut. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, co-chairman of the National Commission on Social and Emotional Learning, and a co-founder of Lovin’ Scoopful Ice Cream Company. He has produced six films, authored The New York Times bestselling book Fully Alive –Discovering What Matters Most, and has written for dozens of newspapers and magazines.

GRADUATING CLASS PROFILE 2022-23

(Summer 2022 & Fall 2022 awarded, Spring 2023 applied) These numbers are based on data available prior to graduation and are subject to change.

COLLEGE CONVOCATIONS

College convocations will be held at the times and in the locations indicated below. Recipients of both undergraduate and graduate degrees should attend the convocations of the colleges in which their major departments are located. Graduation programs will be distributed at individual convocation exercises.

THURSDAY, MAY 4

College of Social and Behavioral Science

(graduate students)

8:30 a.m., Kingsbury Hall

College of Science; College of Mines and Earth Sciences

9 a.m., Jon M. Huntsman Center

College of Health (graduate students)

11 a.m., Kingsbury Hall

David Eccles School of Business

11:45 a.m., Jon M. Huntsman Center

FRIDAY, MAY 5

College of Architecture + Planning

9 a.m., A. Ray Olpin Union Ballroom

College of Social and Behavioral Science

(undergraduate students)

9 a.m., Jon M. Huntsman Center

College of Social Work

9 a.m., Kingsbury Hall

College of Fine Arts

12 p.m., Kingsbury Hall

College of Humanities

12 p.m., Jon M. Huntsman Center

School for Cultural and Social Transformation

3 p.m., A. Ray Olpin Union Ballroom

College of Education

3 p.m., Kingsbury Hall

ACADEMIC REGALIA

John and Marcia Price

College of Engineering

3 p.m., Jon M. Huntsman Center

College of Health

(undergraduate students)

6 p.m., Jon M. Huntsman Center

College of Nursing

6 p.m., Kingsbury Hall

FRIDAY, MAY 12

S.J. Quinney College of Law

9:30 a.m., Kingsbury Hall

College of Pharmacy

2 p.m., Kingsbury Hall

FRIDAY, MAY 19

Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine

10 a.m., Jon M. Huntsman Center

School of Dentistry

2 p.m., Kingsbury Hall

Academic regalia evolved from the robes, hoods, and caps worn by clerics, monks, and priests—the first students—in the European universities of the Middle Ages. American schools, as a result of their English heritage, have generally standardized the black gown.

Various styles, ornaments, and colors are used to signify levels of academic attainment and areas of academic specialty.

The bachelor’s gown is worn closed at the neck. The master’s and doctoral gowns are worn opened; both feature hoods that display the colors of the academic institution or field of study. The origin of the mortarboard has not been definitely determined, but it existed as far back as 1564. The colors of tassels on the mortarboards of candidates indicate the colleges/schools from which they expect to receive degrees.

The Graduate School (Ph.D. and Ed.D.) Yellow

College of Architecture + Planning Blue Violet

David Eccles School of Business Light Brown

School of Dentistry ................................ Lilac

College of Education Light Blue

John and Marcia Price College of Engineering Orange

College of Fine Arts Brown

School of Music Pink

College of Health

Sage Green

School for Cultural and Social Transformation White

College of Humanities… White

S. J. Quinney College of Law Purple

Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine Kelly Green

College of Nursing .............................. Apricot

College of Pharmacy Olive Green

College of Science and College of Mines and Earth Sciences

Golden Yellow

College of Social and Behavioral Science White

College of Social Work Citron

Various ribbons and cords are worn to designate the receipt of honors and other awards.

The mace—historically a symbol of authority and peaceful leadership and now a ceremonial object used at formal academic occasions—will be carried before the president and dignitaries as they convene the proceedings. The U’s mace is carved from dark walnut, stands 48 inches tall, and is embellished with copper elements that represent the university seal, the various colleges, and presidents of the institution. The spiral-carved base evokes the nautilus—an organic model of change and growth—while the beehive-shaped endcap symbolizes the state of Utah.

ORDER OF PROCESSIONAL

The official party is composed of the president, members of the university’s Board of Trustees, the commissioner of higher education, representatives of the Utah Board of Higher Education, deans, administrative officers of the university, student body leaders, elected officials, former university presidents, honorary degree recipients, and other special guests.

Candidates for degrees, officials, and faculty enter the Jon M. Huntsman Center from the west entrance at floor level. Candidates are seated according to the academic degree received and the college or school awarding the degree. Degree candidates are led by banner carriers and faculty representing the various colleges.

UNIVERSITY GIFT

On behalf of the student body, the Associated Students of the University of Utah (ASUU) student government is eager to present the 2023 University Class Gift. The graduating class of 2023 values inclusion and has aimed to support all students at the University of Utah, including those who are no longer with us. This year, the class gift supports the development of a memorial on campus. This memorial is designed to cement the lives of these students in the history of the University of Utah. This gift of $30,000 will support the purchases and development of the memorial space to provide a safe place and a place for healing on campus for students, parents, faculty, and community members to visit and reflect for those students who lost their lives.

Congratulations on your graduation from the University of Utah and welcome to the U Alumni community! The Office of Alumni Relations exists to support your lifelong relationship with the U. We provide opportunities for alumni to connect with one another, engage in activities that are fun, enriching, and benefit the U, and foster education and advance alumni careers. Learn more about U Alumni by visiting alumni .utah .edu