CWU Commencement Just Around The Corner

May 19, 2008

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Congressman Doc Hastings will address the 2008 graduating class at Central Washington University as he delivers the commencement address at Central's 117th graduation ceremonies on Saturday, June 7, 2008, in Ellensburg.

"We're grateful for the support Congressman Hastings has given to Central through the years," says Jerilyn S. McIntyre, CWU president. "We are pleased to have such a dedicated public servant speak to our graduates as they embark on their careers. "

For the third year in a row, Central will conduct two commencement ceremonies in Ellensburg split by college. Graduates of the College of Education and Professional Studies and the College of Business will be awarded their degrees at the first ceremony, which begins at 9:30 a.m. A second ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. for graduates of the College of Arts and Humanities, the College of the Sciences, and Interdisciplinary and Individual Study Majors. Both ceremonies will be held at Tomlinson Stadium on Walnut Street, one block north of Dean Nicholson Boulevard/14th Avenue in Ellensburg.

Congressman Hastings, who will speak at both Eastside ceremonies, is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 1995, serves as the third ranking Republican on the House Rules Committee, and as the Ranking Republican Member of the House Ethics Committee.

During his tenure in the House, Hastings has established a long-standing record of service to the people of central Washington. He has doubled the Market Access Program, which is used to open new markets for Washington farmers, started the ongoing feasibility study for new water storage in the Yakima Basin, and got the federal government engaged in finding a solution for the Odessa Subaquifer. Prior to serving in Congress, Hastings spent eight years in the Washington State Legislature. In the 1960s, he spent some time at Central Washington State College, now Central Washington University, as a student.

Bill Grinstein, Chairman of the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board, will deliver the commencement address at the CWU Westside ceremony on Sunday, June 8, 2008, at 6:30 p.m. in Seattle at Benaroya Hall in the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium. This ceremony is for students receiving their degrees from CWU-Des Moines, CWU-Lynnwood and CWU-Pierce County.

Grinstein, who was also a gubernatorial appointee to the Washington State Economic Development Commission, currently serves on both the Seattle District and Seattle Central Community College Foundations. He is also on the board and is immediate past president of the Rainier Club.

Grinstein was formerly a senior executive with Battelle's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Prior to that, he was an assistant director for Technology Transfer. Now retired, Grinstein continues to serve as an advisor to both Battelle and the Life Sciences Discovery Fund Authority of the state of Washington.

Tickets are not required to attend the Eastside commencement ceremony, which may include graduates from all CWU campuses including CWU-Des Moines, CWU-Lynnwood, CWU-Moses Lake, CWU-Pierce County, CWU-Wenatchee, and CWU-Yakima. Tickets are required for the Westside ceremony and are only available from students taking part in that ceremony.

Contact: Teri Olin, CWU Public Relations & Marketing, olint@cwu.edu, 509-963-1416

Central Washington University is a master's degree-granting institution with approximately 10,000 students and 1,500 faculty and staff. More than 160 undergraduate and master's degrees are offered. Founded in 1891, the Ellensburg campus is located in the heart of Washington State, nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River. Since 1975, CWU has served the needs of place bound students at six university centers throughout the state. CWU is an AA/EEO Title IX Institution.